Thomas & Friends: Season 21 Redux
by Chase The Ferroequinologist
Summary: A rewrite of Season 21's less stellar episodes as well as an expansion of the season to bring it up to 28 episodes! TODAY: Bill and Ben rope Marion into looking for treasure from Salty's stories in "Marion Marks the Spot"!
1. A Most Singular Engine

**A MOST SINGULAR ENGINE**

**BASED ON THE STORY BY DAVEY MOORE**

Devious Diesel is not an engine with many friends, to say the least.

"Morning, Diesel!" Thomas called cheerfully from his platform as Diesel rolled through Knapford.

"Hmph." Diesel continued on his way, completely ignoring Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel as he did so.

"Well, isn't he a very rude engine?" Annie remarked, offended.

"Agreed!" Clarabel replied, leaving Thomas to scowl at where Diesel had left.

* * *

However, Diesel had recently gained _one _friend: Daisy the Diesel Railcar. He had damaged her springs, but had apologized for it and promised to change his ways when Daisy agreed to be his friend. For the most part, Diesel had _tried _to stick to his promise.

"Good morning, Daisy!" Diesel greeted cheerfully as he rolled into Arlesburgh West, a huge grin spreading across his face at the sight of his friend. Daisy smiled back.

"Hello, Diesel! How are you today?"

"Great now, but I had to talk to that annoying _Thomas _earlier…eugh!" Daisy raised an eyebrow at the shunter.

"_Ahem_." She gave him a stony glare. Diesel blushed, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Daisy." Daisy smiled again.

"What brings you up here today, Diesel?" She asked. Diesel lit up again, and was about to respond when he heard a familiar whistle and Ryan arrived, rolling under the ballast hopper to collect some ballast trucks.

"Hi, Daisy! Collecting passengers for Knapford?" Ryan called. Daisy smiled haughtily.

"But of _course, _Ryan. _Somebody _has to do it, and I'd say I'm the best engine for the job!" Ryan chuckled, failing to notice Diesel's attempts to re-enter the conversation.

"Well, you _are _a diesel railcar, Daisy, so I'd say you're one of a kind on Sodor!" He mused.

"Hey, I'd-" Diesel tried to butt in, but Daisy continued.

"Of course, Ryan! Why, just the other day, the Fat Controller was saying that _I _am a 'most _singular_ engine'!" Diesel growled.

"Sounds right to me, Dai-"

"WILL YOU BUZZ OFF? DAISY AND I WERE HAVING A CONVERSATION BEFORE _YOU _BARGED IN!" Diesel lost patience, barking at Ryan. An awkward silence prevailed for a moment, everyone present staring at Diesel.

"Um…bye, Daisy." Ryan whistled before rolling away with his full ballast hoppers, awkwardly. Diesel grinned in satisfaction once the small engines had returned to work.

"_Finally. _Now, where were we-hey!" Diesel was surprised to see Daisy rolling away.

"Where are you going?" He called.

"Down to Knapford, and I _don't _appreciate you yelling at my friends!"

"But _I'm _your friend!"

"You can have more than one!" Diesel could only watch and grumble as Daisy pulled away from Arlesburgh West towards Knapford.

* * *

A lorry driver was making way along to his next delivery, and wasn't watching the road as well as he should've. He hit a pothole on his way across the level crossing, and the lorry jolted. The driver jumped in surprise.

"Ow…I hope nothing in the back got damaged…" He muttered, before continuing to drive on his way, not noticing that a few crates from the back of the lorry had fallen off, blocking the railway line.

* * *

Daisy was making her way down the line towards Knapford when she saw the crates blocking the line.

"Oh no!" She wailed as she slammed her brakes on, coming to a jerky stop just short of the level crossing. As soon as she had collected her bearings, she groaned and looked at the crates across her track.

"Well, that's torn it! How on _Sodor _am I supposed to get past this?" She lamented. Suddenly, she heard an unfamiliar whistle and looked up.

"Hmm?" Puffing slowly along the line was Harvey the Crane Engine. Daisy had never met Harvey before, and looked up at his crane arm as he approached the level crossing. Harvey noticed that Daisy was stuck, and braked to a halt on the other side of the crossing gates.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. Daisy looked to the crates.

"Well, yes, but, with that…_swingy-thingy_ of yours, you should be able to clear the line in no time!" She grinned excitedly at the crane engine, but Harvey only blushed and looked away awkwardly.

"What?" The diesel railcar asked. Harvey sighed.

"I'd _like _to help ye, but there's been a derailment in the Shunting Yards and I have tae go down there tae put the coach back on th' rails; otherwise, the passengers will get cross and complain aboot being late!" Daisy scoffed.

"Well, why didn't you say so? I'm headed to Knapford anyway; I can pick up the passengers and take them on their way and you won't even have to _touch _the coach!" Harvey thought for a moment, before smiling.

"Alright, sounds fair to me!" Harvey made quick work of the crates, moving them to the side of the line, and Daisy hooted her horn in delight.

"Oh, thank you…um…sorry, but I don't think I know your name." She grimaced sheepishly. Harvey chuckled.

"Harvey." The railcar smiled warmly.

"Daisy. Well, off to collect those passengers! _Au revoir!_" Daisy rolled away towards Knapford, leaving a smiling Harvey behind to continue on with his day.

* * *

Daisy collected the passengers just as she had promised, and the railway kept moving like clockwork. At the end of the day, Daisy was on her way back up to Arlesburgh when she noticed Harvey, finally getting the derailed coach back onto the rails in the shunting yard.

"Harvey! Yoo-hoo!" She called, rolling alongside the crane engine just as he placed the coach back onto the rails.

"Oh, hello, Daisy! Thanks for helping meh oot earlier today; it helped a lot!" Daisy beamed.

"And thank you for helping me out by clearing the line! That crane of yours is very useful!" Harvey blushed.

"Thank ye. The fact that ye can carry passengers is pretty useful too!" Daisy smiled.

"You're too sweet. We're most singular engines, you and me; one of a kind! I think we could be good friends, if you want to be." Harvey smiled.

"I'd be happy tae." Daisy grinned in response.

* * *

From that day forward, Daisy and Harvey were _very_ good friends indeed.

"Good morning, Harvey!" Daisy called as she rolled into Knapford and spotted her friend taking on coal at the hopper nearby the station. Harvey beamed.

"Oh, hello, Daisy! How are ye today?" Daisy smiled warmly as she braked into the platform.

"I'm doing _magnifique, _my dear Harvey!"

* * *

The unlikely new friends had nothing but positive things to say about each other.

"Daisy's a diesel railcar; she disnae _need _coaches to carry passengers!" Harvey told Samson in the yards. The tank engine murmured, impressed.

"Harvey's crane is very useful indeed! He can pick up anything, _and _pull trains too! I'd say he's one of the most useful engines on the island!" Daisy told Diesel at Arlesburgh West. Diesel, however, was not pleased, and simply scowled as the railcar continued talking.

* * *

"Why is Daisy always talking about _Harvey?_" Diesel grumbled as he banged into some trucks at the Dieselworks. They cried out in pain.

"Ouch!"

"You'll hurt our buffers!" Paxton, who was shunting trucks of his own nearby, raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, Diesel?" Diesel scowled.

"It's that Harvey. Ever since he helped Daisy out by _moving a crate, _she's always telling _everyone _about how special and _unique _and _singular _he is! She's obsessed with him! It's unbelievable!" He backed up to pick up more trucks. Paxton thought for a moment.

"Why do you care what Daisy thinks, Diesel? Are you jealous?" Diesel stopped dead in his tracks, spluttering.

"Well, I…don't be ridiculous, Paxton! I don't care in the slightest! Not a bit!"

"Really? Because it sounds like-"

"I _don't! _I'm just…observing, that's all!" He honked his horn, rammed the trucks into the buffers, and left the Dieselworks in a huff, leaving a very confused Paxton behind.

"Okay…bye, Diesel!"

* * *

Diesel rolled along the line, still grumbling to himself as he approached the big station.

"Stupid Harvey…what makes him so special, anyway?" He muttered. As he rolled into the platform, he spotted Daisy talking to a rather non-plussed Duck.

"It's a pity that you have to wait for your _coaches_ while I can just pick up my passengers and head on my way without a coach in sight! I'm highly sprung and thoroughly modern! A most _singular _engine!" Suddenly, an idea flew into Diesel's cooling fans. The devious shunter smirked as he slinked around the station.

"Heheheheh…" He chuckled under his breath. As Duck's guard blew the whistle and he left the station, Diesel took his place in the platform and put on an expression of concern. Daisy smiled.

"Hello, Diesel! Why do you look upset?" Diesel looked away, trying to look guilty.

"Well, I _really_ wish that I wasn't the one to tell you this, Daisy, but…I couldn't keep something like this from you any longer." Daisy raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" Diesel sighed dramatically.

"Harvey's been going around saying that he is _way _more useful than you…I'm sorry." Daisy was taken aback.

"What? But…he's my _friend_! He wouldn't say something like _that_ about me…would he? Are you telling the truth, Diesel?" Diesel was about to respond, but he suddenly asked himself something he had never asked before; _should_ he lie to Daisy? However, he ended up fighting it, and put on a big, warm smile as he looked the diesel railcar in the eyes.

"Of course, Daisy. I would _never _lie to you." Daisy scowled and her eyes narrowed.

"That _Harvey!_" She fumed, and bustled off in a huff. As soon as she was out of sight, Diesel smirked and laughed to himself before sneaking away.

* * *

The following day, Harvey was loading some trucks in Knapford Yards when he heard a familiar horn and grinned, blowing his whistle.

"Good morning, Daisy!" He called as the diesel railcar rolled by. However, Daisy didn't respond; she simply glared at him instead.

"Hmph." She rolled past without a word, much to Harvey's confusion.

"Huh? That wasnae very nice…" Harvey muttered as Daisy disappeared from sight. Diesel, watching from behind a building, grinned, before rushing out from behind the building and rolling alongside Harvey.

"Harvey! There you are! I've been looking for you, phew, all day!" He panted, pretending he was exhausted. Harvey raised an eyebrow.

"Erm, yes, I'm here. What's going on, Diesel?" Diesel sighed.

"It's Daisy! She's been saying _horrible _things about you and, well, I just couldn't stand it anymore and had to tell you!" Harvey narrowed his eyes.

"Is that so? What is she saying, Diesel?" Diesel smirked before assuming his sad expression again.

"Daisy is saying that she's _way _more useful than you, and that your crane arm is ugly!" Harvey glared at where Daisy had gone.

"I thought we were friends! That's unbelievable!" He whistled and rolled away, seething with anger. Diesel grinned, and went to watch the fireworks.

* * *

All throughout the day, Daisy and Harvey could talk of nothing but the other.

"I thought we were _equals_, but that big bossy buffers has been stringing me along this entire time!" Daisy ranted at Arlesburgh West, Ryan looking on rather nervously.

"That's not a very nice thing for her to say at all!" Samson replied as Harvey finished his explanation of what Daisy had been saying about him.

"Quite right, boyo! I hope that Daisy learns some discipline soon!" Bradford added from behind him.

"He acts so humble and quiet, but he's two-faced!" Daisy added, Ryan continuing to just awkwardly listen in.

"She obviously thinks she's better than everyone, rocking about with her 'swerves'." Harvey fumed.

"I hope that _somebody _teaches him a lesson about being kind to others!" Daisy seethed.

"I hope that _somebody _teaches her a lesson aboot a hard day's work! Singular indeed!"

"I-"

"-never want-"

"-to see him-"

"-her-"

"-AGAIN IN MY LIFE!" In each conversation, Daisy and Harvey left in a huff, Daisy leaving Ryan behind to simply sit, bewildered, in the platform, and Harvey leaving a sympathetic Samson and Bradford. Diesel watched from the shadows with a satisfied sneer; his trick had worked!

* * *

Later, Diesel was shunting in the yards when he suddenly heard a whistle and then a horn. He gasped and smirked.

"This'll be good! Now Daisy won't want to talk to Harvey ever again, and I can finally have _my_ friend back!" He chuckled and dashed behind a building where he could still see most of the yard. From one direction came Harvey, pulling a works unit coach after a long day of work. From the other came Daisy, who flounced along the line. The two engines saw each other and braked to a halt, their eyes narrowing.

"Daisy."

"_Harvey._" The tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife. Diesel sneered from his hiding spot in satisfaction. Daisy rolled forwards first.

"Well, Harvey, if I may, I've heard some rumors that you've been saying that you're more useful than me…you wouldn't say that about me, would you?" She asked suspiciously. Harvey's scowl softened.

"Huh? I never said that at all!" Daisy's face twisted with anger.

"Liar! I _know _you've only been pretending to be my friend!" It was Harvey's turn to be angry now.

"Well…it's nae like you're perfect! I know ye've been calling my crane ugly behind my back!" Daisy fumed.

"I said no such thing!" Harvey glared intensely.

"And ye call _me _a liar!" As Daisy and Harvey continued to argue, Diesel could hardly contain the smile on his face.

"With Harvey gone, Daisy will want to spend time with me again!" He snickered to himself. Suddenly, he listened in and heard Daisy say something that made him stop in his tracks.

"I cannot believe that you've been such a rotten, dishonest friend! I trusted you! I thought we were friends! I still can't believe you lied to me…at least _Diesel _told me the truth; he's a good, _honest _friend, unlike you!" The feeling from earlier when Diesel questioned whether or not he should lie to Daisy returned, and this time he _couldn't _stop it. He looked at Harvey glaring intensely at Daisy and the railcar glaring back before retreating behind the building again and wincing in guilt.

"Oh no. _I've _been the rotten friend. _I've _made Daisy upset, not Harvey! Oh…what am I going to do?" He cringed nervously at the argument happening in front of him. There was only one thing he could do…but he really didn't want to do it. He gulped before charging out from behind the building.

"Wait! It's my fault!" He announced, honking his horn. Daisy and Harvey were rather startled, before Harvey raised an eyebrow.

"Diesel! _You _told me that Daisy was saying rude things about me!" Diesel could see that Harvey was angry, but the expression on Daisy's face hurt even more; disappointment.

"And you told _me _that Harvey was saying rude things about me…why did you do that, Diesel?" Diesel looked down at his buffers; he couldn't even look Daisy in the eyes he felt so awful.

"Daisy, I've…never really had a real friend before. You started spending so much time with Harvey and talking about him so much that I thought that you were going to forget about me. I know that _you _have other friends, Daisy, but…I really like you, and you're pretty much all I have. I…I understand if you don't want to talk to me again after this; I've been a horrible friend. I'm really sorry." Diesel didn't look up to see the look on Daisy's face again, instead simply opting to reverse away to sulk. However, he heard a voice.

"I understand, Diesel." Diesel braked suddenly and was surprised to see Daisy smiling at him (although Harvey still looked considerably miffed).

"Huh?" Daisy sighed.

"Look, I'm not happy about what you did to drive a wedge between Harvey and I. You can't ever do anything like that again…" Diesel looked down at his buffers.

"…if you're going to be my friend." He looked up again, surprised.

"Huh?"

"I'm willing to forgive you if I think you're truly sorry." Diesel grinned and rushed up to Daisy.

"Yes, Daisy! I'm sorry, Daisy! Please forgive me, Daisy!" Daisy's expression remained serious.

"That _includes _apologizing to Harvey." Diesel's expression fell as he looked sheepishly to the irritated Harvey.

"Sorry, Harvey." Harvey snorted.

"As ye should be." Diesel looked up at Daisy, who was smiling at him once more, and couldn't help smiling himself.

* * *

Daisy and Harvey are still good friends, and will have a chat whenever they see one another.

"I got my windows cleaned, Harvey! Don't I look _magnifique_?" Daisy announced as she rolled alongside Harvey in the yard one day. Harvey chuckled.

"Oh, Daisy; ye do make me laugh with your funny words!" Diesel slunk up alongside the duo and listened as they spoke.

"Daisy, I'm glad we're getting along again."

"Me too, Harvey! After all, us 'most singular engines' have to stick together!" Diesel scowled as Daisy and Harvey laughed. The railcar continued after she was done laughing.

"I am glad to have you as my 'most singular _friends_'." She said. Harvey blew his whistle and puffed away.

"Must be off, goodbye Daisy!" Daisy blew her horn goodbye. She could see Diesel scowling in jealousy and chuckled.

"When I said 'most singular friends', that included you, Diesel." She flounced away, leaving Diesel's face to curl into a small smile. He was glad to have Daisy as his 'most singular friend' too.

**THE END**

* * *

Welcome to the **Season 21 Redux! **This is a project I've been planning since the original Season 21 aired, and I'm very happy to finally get it out to all of y'all! While the original _A Most Singular Engine _functions fine on its own, the fact that it doesn't build on the Diesel-Daisy friendship established in _Springtime for Diesel, _the episode directly before it, is a tad jarring, and I decided to build on that as the basis of this episode. Diesel and Daisy's friendship is going to be a recurring presence both in this season and in my next original set of stories, so hopefully this was a good introduction to my version of it. This revamped Season 21 will fill in the gaps of the original, and have **28 **episodes instead of 18. Along with rewrites, there will be ten original stories added to flesh out the season. Give me a review of what you think of this rewrite, as well as future ones!

What's next:

\- _The Big_ _Freeze_ (inspired by the episode by Helen Farrall)_ \- _Diesel finally proves himself a hero when, in the middle of a massive snowstorm, he goes to fetch a load of coal for Sodor's steam engines on the Mainland.

_\- Stuck in_ _Gear_ (based on the episode by Davey Moore)_ \- _Harvey is reluctant to go to get his crane arm fixed in the middle of a cleanup operation for a big storm as he feels that he'll let everyone down.

_\- Hasty Hannah _(based on the episode by Lee Pressman) - While Henrietta's seats are being refurbished, Toby must work with a crazy speed demon of a coach named Hannah, who will go anywhere to satiate her need for speed.

\- _New Crane on the Dock _(based on the episode by Lee Pressman) - Cranky is annoyed when his chatty and chipper new workmate, Carly, infringes on his space and begins to take his work, and aspires to compete with her to drive her out.

\- _Red Engine Rivalry _(based on _The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor _by Helen Farrall) - Rosie struggles with defining herself after being repainted red and earning the ire of James, who thinks she is stealing his look.


	2. The Big Freeze

**THE BIG FREEZE  
INSPIRED BY THE STORY BY HELEN FARRALL**

It was the coldest winter the Island of Sodor had seen in years, and the engines were having a difficult time coping with the frigid weather. Thomas shivered as he puffed along the line to the Docks with his trucks.

"I hope I c-c-c-can pick up this delivery and get back to my nice warm sh-sh-shed soon…" Thomas muttered. When he arrived at the Docks however, there wasn't any load waiting for him. He whistled impatiently as he rolled alongside Salty.

"Salty, where's my delivery? I don't want to sit out in the cold!" Salty chuckled nervously.

"Well, ya see, Thomas, it's not quite…unloaded yet. Cranky's havin' a bit of trouble, matey." Thomas looked up and saw icicles hanging from all over Cranky the Crane, who looked most uncomfortable.

"Brrr…my frames are frozen…" He shivered. Thomas groaned, annoyed.

* * *

All over Sodor, the cold weather was causing problems, and some of the businesses that worked alongside the railway couldn't make their output due to malfunctioning equipment. Unfortunately for the engines, that included…

"The coal mine has been shut down by the freezing weather; it's too dangerous to keep working in this tundra." The Fat Controller announced to the engines at Tidmouth Sheds, bundled up in a thick coat, a hat, mittens and a scarf (which was muffling his voice). Gordon spluttered.

"But sir, we're due for another shipment! Are all the steam engines supposed to just sit around until the mine starts running again?" The Fat Controller held up a mittened hand.

"For the time being, Gordon, steam services will be limited until we can get a delivery of coal from the Mainland. With some elbow grease, the diesels should be able to keep things running on their own." He walked away, leaving the steam engines to share nervous glances; they knew some diesels could be trouble.

* * *

The diesels weren't entirely enthusiastic either.

"All by ourselves, sir?" Paxton asked after the Fat Controller told the diesels at the Dieselworks of his plan, rolling forwards nervously. He nodded, and Paxton chuckled nervously.

"There's a lot of jobs on Sodor, sir, and well, not as many_ diesels_, sir."

"It's only temporary, Paxton. I promise that if you all work well until we can get another shipment of coal, there will be a reward for all of you." The diesels all looked at each other; they couldn't argue with that.

"Yes, sir!" They chorused.

* * *

Soon enough, the diesels of Sodor were out working hard on the railway. The work wasn't always easy, but they knew that _somebody _had to do it and as a result didn't complain much. It was hard without the steam engines, although _some _engines would claim otherwise.

"Isn't this marvelous, Daisy? The railway is finally how it should be; the steamers on the sidelines with the _modern _diesel engines in the spotlight!" Diesel gloated to Daisy at Knapford as both of them rolled in pulling lines of trucks. Daisy sighed; she liked Diesel, but didn't agree with his views on steam engines.

"I don't know, Diesel; without Ryan around I've had to run up and down the branch line with coaches _and _trucks! It's definitely bad for my swerves…" She groaned before looking back to her trucks. Diesel snorted.

"You're doing just fine without them! What do we need steam engines for? We diesels can keep the railway operating just fine on our own!" Daisy frowned.

"I have several good friends who are steam engines, Diesel, like Ryan and Harvey. I know _they're _both really useful engines." Diesel was about to retort when he suddenly felt a bump from the back of the train and looked back, startled.

"What are you playing at, Philip?" He demanded. Philip backed up nervously.

"Oh, sorry, Diesel! I was told to add more trucks to your train so you can head over to Vicarstown!" Diesel raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"_More _trucks!?"  
"Fat Controller's orders." Diesel sighed and grumbled away with his trucks behind him. Daisy smirked.

"Like it or not, Diesel, it is harder without the steam engines around! It'll be a rest cure when the coal finally gets here!" Diesel rolled his eyes as he rumbled across the junction, where Diesel 10 was waiting impatiently with the Express.

"Yeah, yeah…definitely more peaceful though…I'm _going_!" He snapped after Diesel 10 honked his horn at him due to his slow speed with the long line of heavy trucks.

* * *

That evening, Diesel returned to the Dieselworks, exhausted after a long day's work. He was surprised to find the Fat Controller waiting for him.

"Can I help you, sir?" He asked as he reversed into his shed, clearly wanting "no" as an answer. The Fat Controller, still bundled up in all his winter clothing, held up a clipboard.

"Diesel, the order of coal from the Mainland is finally ready to be picked up. I need you to head over to the Mainland and collect it." Diesel snorted indignantly.

"_Coal!? _For _Steamies!? _There is no way I am helping out _one _steamie, never mind all of them! I-"

"Really useful engines do as they are told, Diesel. You can collect the coal trucks by Tidmouth Sheds." The Fat Controller said firmly. Diesel didn't reply, he just grumbled away.

* * *

Diesel's mood was not any better by the time he arrived at Tidmouth Sheds to collect the trucks. The mood of the steam engines was not improved by Diesel being there either.

"What do _you _want, Diesel?" Thomas glared.

"Come to gloat about diesels taking over the railway?" James snarked. Diesel rolled his eyes.

"_No, _actually. I've come to collect some trucks so I can get you lot some coal from the Mainland." Diesel was cut off by Gordon groaning loudly.

"Great, now we're going to be waiting _even longer _for the coal to arrive!" Diesel raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't you hear me? I just said I was going to get it!" Gordon rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but knowing _your _track record, you're bound to foul it up. I don't know why the Fat Controller entrusted a troublemaker like you with such an important job; _I _certainly wouldn't." Diesel didn't respond; he just banged into his trucks and left without another word, fuming.

* * *

Diesel was soon on his way to the Mainland, and passing through Vicarstown Station. He was still in a foul mood, especially over what Gordon had said. He was in such a foul mood, in fact, that he didn't notice Caitlin trying to get his attention on the other side of the chaotic station.

"Diesel! Diesel! If you're going to the Mainland, be careful! There's a _snowstorm _on the way, and you don't want to get stuck!" Diesel took no notice, and continued to head along his way.

* * *

Diesel did take notice, however, once he reached the Mainland. The snow begun to fall fast, and Diesel soon found himself having to push heavy drifts aside with his snowplough. He groaned as his wheels spun in the ice and snow.

"Oh, come on…_move!_" He groaned as he pushed against one particularly heavy drift. Finally, he burst through it and continued on his way.

"Haha! No more…snowdrifts?" Diesel braked to a halt as he found more snow piled up on his line. He groaned and began to push forwards to move it aside.

"Why can't I be in my nice warm shed at the Dieselworks?" He grumbled as he kept pushing on through the snow.

* * *

Finally, Diesel arrived at the goods yard with his coal trucks. One of the Mainland Shunters shunted Diesel's coal trucks underneath a hopper while Diesel rested in the warm, dry shed, much to his relief. Eventually, Diesel could see that his coal trucks were full and rushed over to collect them.

"Finally! Now I can get home!" He backed onto the trucks and the guard began to check their brakes so they could leave. The Mainland Diesel who had filled Diesel's trucks oiled alongside.

"The snow's gettin' worse, buddy. If you want to stay the night and wait 'til morning, that's fine by me." However, Diesel simply honked his horn after he heard the guard blow his whistle and started off, not even bothering to answer the Mainland Diesel. The Mainland Diesel snorted.

"'No thank you' would've sufficed…" He muttered as he watched Diesel disappear out into the raging blizzard.

* * *

Diesel fought his way through the ice and snow, struggling to keep the heavy coal trucks moving on the slippery rails.

"Come…on…come…on…oh, _COME ON_!" He growled furiously as he tried to push against the deep drift. As his wheels spun, what Gordon had said at the sheds re-entered his mind.

"_…knowing your track record, you're bound to foul it up. I don't why the Fat Controller entrusted a troublemaker like you with such an important job; I know I certainly wouldn't._" Diesel slowed down and stopped pushing against the snow entirely. He growled furiously.

"I'm done. I'm absolutely done. No _way _are those steamers getting a _lump _of this coal! I'm staying here!" He reversed down the line until he found a siding leading into a shed. His driver switched the points and Diesel rumbled towards the dark shed, shivering. Once he was inside, he braked to a halt and continued to grit his teeth angrily.

"Those stupid steamers! They treat me like rubbish every single day and expect me to just _help _them? They laughed at me when _Duck _tricked me with those trucks! They laughed at me when I fell off the pier at Brendam Docks! Well…who's laughing _now, _huh? I might just take your coal, run away, and never come back! YOU HEAR THAT, STEAMIES!? I'M _NEVER_ COMING BACK!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He took several deep breaths to steady himself as his face fell into a sad expression. His rage had evaporated and his true feelings had bubbled to the surface.

"Not that anyone would _want _me back anyway…" He muttered. He sat in silence for a moment, staring sadly at his buffers.

"May I comment?" Diesel jumped, startled. Next to him in the shed was a large green engine with two tenders that Diesel recognized as…

"Flying Scotsman? What are you doing here?" Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"You're not the only one to get stuck out here; now, you didn't answer my question." Diesel snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you _'may comment'_." He sneered sarcastically.

"It sounds like you're angry at the, ahem, 'steamies' because they don't expect anything of you." Diesel glared at the famous engine.

"Never have, never will." He grunted. Flying Scotsman raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't think running away is the best way to solve _that _problem, now is it?" Diesel continued to glare as Scotsman continued.

"If _I_ were in your wheels, I would take that coal back to Sodor."

"Why?"

"To prove them wrong." This gave the shunter pause, and he stared out into the storm for a moment. A determined look crossed his face and he began to reverse out of the shed. Flying Scotsman smiled.

"Good luck, Diesel." He said. Diesel didn't need telling twice, and he charged into the snowstorm towards Sodor.

* * *

The wind howled around him and his face was battered with ice and snow, but Diesel didn't care. He was going to get back to Sodor with the coal, no matter what. His wheels pounded the rails as the coal trucks rattled along behind him, snow flying aside as Diesel cut through it with his snowplough.

"Prove them wrong! Prove them wrong! Prove them _WRONG!_" He bellowed into the storm. Finally, he saw the Vicarstown Bridge come into view and let out a sigh of relief.

"The bridge! I'm home free! Yes!" He cheered as he surged over the bridge with his coal trucks, having made it home in one piece.

* * *

Diesel stayed the night at Vicarstown Station, and the next morning he went all over the island with his trucks of coal, dropping them off so the steam engines could start work again. He had a particularly smug grin on his face as he pulled up to Tidmouth Sheds.

"Good morning, everyone! I've brought your coal!" He grinned. The engines murmured, impressed.

"Wow, thank you, Diesel!"

"Good work, Diesel!"

"On time too, well done!"

"You're a lifesaver!"

"We'll be back at work soon!"

"Hooray!" Diesel smirked at Gordon, the last engine yet to speak. The big engine sighed.

"Thank you, Diesel. I'm sorry for doubting you." Diesel smirked.

"Well, let's not make the same mistake twice, eh? Back to work you lot, we can't keep picking up the slack for you forever!" He honked his horn and raced away from Tidmouth Sheds, leaving the steam engines to get fired up with coal.

* * *

Soon enough, all the steam engines were back at work and the railway had returned to normal. Daisy was happy to have a load off her buffers, but was surprised to see that _Diesel _seemed just as happy as her as she rolled into Knapford.

"Well, Diesel, what's gotten you in such a good mood?" Diesel smiled.

"I got the steam engines their coal and they've been thanking me all day! Oh, must be off, have to be really useful! See you later, Daisy!" He honked his horn and rumbled away. Daisy was so proud of him that she couldn't help but smile.

**THE END**

* * *

A much bigger departure from the original episode, eh? I've always thought the original _Big Freeze _was kind of aimless and didn't follow the most interesting plot thread in favor of watching Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel sit in a station for nine minutes, so I decided to do the episode right and follow Diesel's arc, as well as continue his friendship with Daisy. This episode also featured the first appearance of the Flying Scotsman in this redone Season 21, and know that I have more planned for both him and the Mainland Diesels from TGR! While this is directly tied to my version of TGR, it's vague enough in Season 21 where it could be either the canon one or mine, while the aspects of it that are more strictly tied to mine (Vinnie and Stepney) will be explored in Set 3.

Now, as always, what's next:

\- _Stuck in Gear _(based on the story by Davey Moore)

\- _Hasty Hannah _(based on the story by Lee Pressman)

\- _New Crane on the Dock _(based on the story by Lee Pressman)

\- _Red Engine Rivalry _(based on _The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor _by Helen Farrall)

\- _Quiet in the Shed _(based on _A Shed for Edward _by Lee Pressman) - Edward finds sleeping in the same shed as the loud and chatty Philip while Tidmouth Sheds are being repaired very difficult, and this begins to take a toll on him as he finds it difficult to stay awake with the little sleep he's getting.


	3. Stuck in Gear

**STUCK IN GEAR**

**BASED ON THE STORY BY DAVEY MOORE**

One night, a huge storm raged across the island of Sodor. It knocked over telephone lines, blew down trees, and even flooded certain parts of the line; there was quite a bit of clearing up to do. The Fat Controller sent out engines and cranes to help tidy things up and make it safe again, but there was someone else who was the key to his plan.

"Harvey!" The Fat Controller greeted at Knapford Sheds. The crane engine moved forwards.

"Good morning, sir." He smiled.

"There's a lot of clearing up to do after this last storm, and I'm putting _you _in charge of the bulk of it." Harvey gulped.

"Me? On me own, sir?" The Fat Controller smiled.

"Harvey, I know you can handle it. You're a really useful crane engine, and we're all relying on you to get the line clear so the railway can operate as normal again." Harvey was nervous, but he knew that the Fat Controller was right; they _were _all relying on him. He gave a small smile.

"I won't let ye down, sir." The Fat Controller grinned.

"That's a good engine! You can get to work right away!" As the Fat Controller left, Harvey whistled and nervously set off to start completing his important job.

* * *

Harvey had soon collected the Works Coach and was making his way along the main line, clearing any debris or damage from the storm he could find. It was hard work, but Harvey had never been one to mind working hard. No matter the obstruction, Harvey always found a way to move it aside.

"Thank you, Harvey! I don't know what my passengers would do without you!" Emily thanked him as he moved a fallen tree off her line. Harvey blushed modestly.

"Oh, dinnae mention it; just doing me job is all!" Harvey put the tree down beside the line, groaning at the release of the weight. Emily whistled and continued onwards down the line.

"Keep up the good work, Harvey!" Harvey smiled as Emily puffed away. His driver climbed down from the cab.

"You've been working hard, Harvey! Maybe it's time for a bit of a rest." Harvey was about to respond when he suddenly heard a whistle and saw an irritated-looking James approach with a goods train.

"Harvey! There you are!" He snapped. Harvey jumped.

"What's the matter, James?" He asked. The red engine snorted.

"The section I just went through is a nightmare! Branches everywhere, bumpy tracks…it's lucky my paintwork didn't get scratched!" Harvey winced.

"Sorry, James. I just haven't…gotten tae that part yet." James rolled his eyes.

"Well, pick up the pace then! You still have a lot of work to do!" He whistled and trundled onwards. Harvey looked nervously at his buffers.

"Oh, jings…driver, we better get going tae the next job!" His driver, standing with the fireman eating sandwiches nearby, raised an eyebrow.

"Already? You've barely taken a break!" Harvey gave a nervous grin.

"Well, yes, but there's so much to do! I dinnae want tae let anyone down!" His driver gave the fireman a look, who shrugged.

"Alright, Harvey. On we go then." They climbed into Harvey's cab and continued on down the line to the bumpy section James had told them about.

* * *

James was right; there were branches strewn all over the line and Harvey could feel the tracks buckling beneath his wheels as he puffed about, removing all the branches from the line. He worked quickly, as he was very eager to head on to the next job. However, he finished before the workmen had finished inspecting the track, and began to get rather antsy.

"Are ye finished yet? We're barely halfway down the main line and there's still plenty of debris to clear!" He asked the workmen. His driver chuckled.

"What's the rush, Harvey? The workmen are just trying to do a good job and mark the spots where it's bumpy so the maintenance crew knows what needs to be fixed." Harvey sighed.

"I know, but I dinnae want tae be sitting around when there's work tae be done!" His driver thought for a moment.

"Tell you what, Harvey. We'll head a ways down the line, clear what we can, and then come back and get the workmen once they're done with their inspection. How does that sound?" Harvey grinned.

"Thank ye!" His crew climbed back aboard and Harvey puffed away, leaving the workmen behind to continue their inspection.

* * *

Harvey made his way down the main line, moving whatever branches and barrels aside he could. He started to relax a bit, but he didn't make it very far before he encountered an enormous fallen tree blocking the line. He braked to a halt just in front of it.

"Bless me! Look at the size of that!" His driver remarked, looking at the enormous tree. Harvey gulped, and then began to move towards it with his crane arm.

"Here goes…" He muttered. Suddenly, his driver turned on the brake, laughing.

"What do you think you're doing, Harvey? You're _far _too small to lift that thing!" Harvey blushed, embarrassed.

"Well, _someone_ has tae move it!" The driver chuckled.

"We'll put up flags and then go back and fetch the workmen once they're finished and have them cut it aside." Harvey grimaced.

"That'll take _hours_, and there's still so much tae do…" He looked at the tree and noticed that it looked like there was just enough space for him to pass under it.

"Driver, I think I may just be able tae squeeze under that tree. If we do that, then maybe we can keep working and we won't have tae delay things any longer!" His driver inspected the gap and raised an eyebrow.

"It's a tight squeeze…I think we should go back and wait, Harvey." The crane engine frowned.

"Please? I dinnae want tae let everyone down by nae getting me work done on time! The Fat Controller is relying on me!" His driver sighed and gave the tree another look.

"Alright, we'll try to go under, but we need to be careful." Harvey beamed.

"Thank ye!" Harvey's driver returned to the controls and the crane engine slowly began to make his way underneath the tree. Harvey could feel the branches scraping against his crane arm and groaned.

"Ouch! Ow! Oh, that's sharp!" His driver heard scraping noises and winced as he braked Harvey to a stop.

"Just as I thought; it's too tight. We'll have to go back!" Harvey tried to reverse, but the branches were stuck fast and didn't let him pass. The crane engine winced.

"I cannae go back! All I can do is power forward…come on…come on!" Harvey puffed forwards with all his might despite the branches pushing against him. Finally, after a considerable amount of strain, Harvey heard a loud "SNAP" and he shot forwards away from the tree. He laughed triumphantly.

"I'm free! Now I can go on being really useful!" Harvey tried to rotate his crane arm, but instead of it moving easily like it normally did it made grinding and creaking noises, and he couldn't move it beyond a certain radius. His driver peeked his head out of the cab to take a look at it.

"You've a branch stuck in your crane, Harvey! We'll have to head to the Steamworks to get it checked out!" Harvey winced.

"Can we just cut it out at the next job? There's tae much tae do tae sit around!" His driver took a look at the lodged branch.

"Alright, Harvey. Next job." Harvey whistled and continued on, the branch firmly stuck in his gears.

* * *

Harvey soon reached another smaller branch, and tried to rotate his crane arm to move it aside. It continued to creak and groan, and his crew soon inspected it. The fireman took out a knife to try and cut the branch free, but it was stuck fast in Harvey's gears.

"We really do need to go to the Steamworks, Harvey. There's no way we can cut it out here." Harvey looked nervously down at his buffers.

"Oh dear…everyone's going to be disappointed in me if I cannae clear up this mess because I was at the Steamworks…" Suddenly, Harvey had an idea and grinned. He tried to move his crane arm and, even though it was slower than usual and made awful creaking noises, it still seemed to rotate fine.

"Well…me crane arm still seems tae work fine! I'll get it checked over at the end of the day! That way we can get all our work done and the railway can go back tae normal!" His driver and fireman shared a look.

"Harvey, if we keep working that might make the problem w-"

"We still have nae got down any of the branch lines! Still plenty of work tae do there!" His crew gave him a look that caused Harvey to sheepishly grin.

"I dinnae think it's that big a problem! Honest!" His driver sighed.

"We need to be careful, Harvey." The crane engine let out a sigh of relief; he wasn't going to disappoint the Fat Controller or anyone else!

"Thank ye, sir." The crew climbed back aboard and Harvey strained to move his crane arm to move the branch aside before moving it back into position and reversing back to collect the workmen.

* * *

Harvey's jammed crane arm worked fine for a little while, but it didn't for long. Down for Brendam Docks, Harvey was trying to move some crates that had been blown onto the line out of the way. He picked one up but it as he tried to move it aside, his crane arm began to creak loudly. All the men on the dockside covered their ears. Cranky groaned.

"What is that noise? It's giving me a headache!" Harvey chuckled nervously as he stopped moving his crane arm to put the crates down on the other side of the tracks.

"What? I didnae hear anything!" Cranky rolled his eyes at the awkward crane engine before turning away to unload another ship. Harvey tried to turn his crane arm back forward, but he simply heard a loud clicking and the creaking continuing.

"Uh oh." He tried again; his crane arm was stuck facing sideways. His driver looked out of the cab and was not amused.

"I told you we should've gone to the Steamworks! Now the branch is jammed even farther into your gears!" Harvey winced nervously before looking down at his buffers.

"Oh, you're right…I really should g-" Suddenly, Harvey heard a horn and saw Salty approaching.

"Hey, Harvey! Is something wrong?" Harvey was about to reply but Salty continued speaking.

"Because if there isn't, you better have a good reason for lazing about when there's work to be done, matey!" Salty laughed.

"Only joking. Why the long face?" Salty had been joking, but his words put the fact that there _was _still work to be done back into Harvey's mind. He looked up at his jammed crane arm before scanning the dockside. He looked at Salty who smiled back at him, then looked at Cranky who gave him a glare. He then looked ahead and saw the Sodor Shipping Company building, and an idea flew into his funnel.

"Nothing's wrong at all! I just need to head over to the Shipping Company for a second!" Harvey's driver was confused.

"Harvey? I thought we were going to the Steamw-WHOA!" The crane engine was so nervous and jumpy that he accidentally jerked his driver and fireman off the footplate! They fell out of his cab as Harvey began to roll towards the building.

"Harvey! Stop!" Harvey didn't realize he didn't have his crew, and started to pick up speed as he approached the building.

"I can use this building to _push _my crane arm back! Maybe it'll push the branch oot tae!"

"Harvey! What are you doing, matey?" Harvey looked behind him to see Salty calling for him and his crew running towards him and gasped.

"Oh no! I cannae stop! HELP!" Harvey rammed into the Shipping Company building, his crane arm getting caught against one of the supports.

"Hold on, Harvey, we'll shut off steam!" His driver cried, but Cranky could see that Harvey's crane arm wasn't unjamming itself; the force was starting to lift Harvey's front wheels into the air!

"He's going to fall!" The crane cried. The men ran clear as Harvey finally lost his balance and toppled over onto the dockside with a mighty "CRASH". Once the dust had settled, Salty rushed up to Harvey.

"Harvey! Are you alright?" The dented Harvey groaned in pain.

"Uh, yeah, I think so…" His crew gave each other nervous glances.

* * *

Norman soon arrived with Judy and Jerome to help put Harvey back onto the rails. Luckily, there was little damage to the building, but Harvey's crane arm needed major repairs from both the branch and the accident. The cranes were sympathetic as they lowered Harvey back onto the rails.

"Oh, you poor thing! That crash looked absolutely horrible, didn't it, Jerome?"

"It did, Judy! But don't worry, Harvey, we can handle the rest of the cleanup while you take a rest in the Steamworks and get your crane working again!" Harvey felt the rails beneath his wheels and gave a small smile.

"Thanks, ye guys." As Judy and Jerome's chains were removed from Harvey, Salty backed down in front of him to pull him to the Steamworks. Harvey's crew walked up alongside.

"How are you holding up, Harvey?" Harvey sighed.

"I've been better. I'm sorry I didnae listen to ye about going to the Steamworks and getting my crane fixed. I made the problem so much worse…I just dinnae want to disappoint everyone when they're relying on me, y'know…" His driver gave him a smile.

"It's our fault too, Harvey. We should've been firmer in making you go. We'll make it up to you when you're back." Harvey smiled back at his crew. Salty cleared his throat.

"If I may, Harvey, I think everyone would've understood if you had to take a bit of a break from your work because there was something wrong with you. We're all just glad that you're out there clearing up to begin with so the rest of us can be useful." This gave the crane engine a lot to think about.

"Thank ye, Salty. I'll keep that in mind in future." Salty grinned.

"That's the spirit, matey! Now, let's get you to the Steamworks!" He honked his horn and rumbled away with Harvey behind him.

* * *

Harvey's crane arm was soon enough fixed and he was back at work. He still works hard, but now knows that it's okay to take care of yourself.

"Driver, it feels like there's something in me crane arm!" He told his driver, who took a look at the gears and chuckled.

"Well, I see a twig in there. Just hold still, I'll get it out." Harvey _also_ now knows to listen to his driver too.

**THE END**

* * *

My problems with the original _Stuck in Gear _lie in the way Harvey is characterized; it feels very childish and a bit of a regression from the development he received in _Gone Fishing. _The key change I made with this story was changing Harvey's motivation; instead of not wanting to get fixed because he doesn't want to make a fuss, he instead doesn't want to get fixed because there's work to be done and he doesn't want to let anyone down. Involving the crew was also a huge part of the changes I wanted, as a lot of the original episode was Harvey talking to himself, which I don't really think works in the Brenner era because it just comes across rather awkward. Not much to talk about here, but I'm proud of this one.

What's next:

\- _Hasty Hannah _(based on the story by Lee Pressman)

_\- New Crane on the Dock_ (based on the story be Lee Pressman)

\- _Red Engine Rivalry _(based on _The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor _by Helen Farrall)

\- _Quiet in the Shed _(based on _A Shed for Edward_ by Lee Pressman)

\- _Terence & Trevor - _Terence is called in to help Trevor with last-minute set-up for the vicar's fete, but his constant claims of adaptability begin to put Trevor on the sidelines as Terence does as much work as he can while leaving very little for Trevor.


	4. Hasty Hannah

**HASTY HANNAH**

**BASED ON THE STORY BY LEE PRESSMAN**

It was a special day for Henrietta; Toby was taking her to the Steamworks to have her seats refurbished. He rang his bell as he entered the Steamworks, alerting Victor to their presence.

"Ah, good morning, Toby! Good morning, Henrietta!" Both of them smiled.

"Good morning, Victor!" Toby called. Henrietta chuckled.

"Don't forget Kevin!" Kevin delightedly rushed up to the duo.

"Hi, Henrietta! Welcome back!" Henrietta smiled fondly at the little crane as Toby turned himself around on the Steamworks turntable. Victor grinned at the carriage.

"Your new seats just arrived this morning; very comfortable _and _stylish!" Suddenly, a loud crashing noise sounded out from the back of the Steamworks. The three looked over and saw that Kevin had tipped over.

"Sorry, boss!" Victor sighed.

"Well, they'll be comfortable, anyway." Henrietta grinned.

"I can't wait to get started!" She then looked and saw that Toby had a frown on his face. She chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"Going to miss me, Toby?" Toby gave a small smile.

"Of course I will, Henrietta. I know you won't be gone long, but…it's not the same without you." Henrietta smiled back.

"You're too sweet; treat the substitute coach the Fat Controller gives you while I'm gone well!" Toby rang his bell and left the Steamworks.

"Of course!" As the tram engine puffed out of sight, Henrietta watched him leave with a smile on her face.

* * *

Toby tried to stay positive, but he very quickly found himself missing his faithful coach as he puffed into the yards. Thomas could see that Toby was sad and rolled alongside.

"What's up with you, Toby?" Toby sighed.

"Henrietta's at the Steamworks. I miss her already…" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"How long has she been there?"

"About an hour." Thomas blinked. Before he could reply however, they heard a whistle and Rosie puffed into the yard, pulling an unfamiliar yellow coach who Toby could hear excitedly chattering.

"Come on! Can't ya go any fastah? I need ta get ta work, ya know! I-oh, is that Tobeh? HI, TOBEH! HI!" Toby was startled as the irritated-looking Rosie braked to a halt alongside him. The Fat Controller stepped out of the coach onto her balcony.

"There you are, Toby! Now, while Henrietta is away, I found a new coach; fresh from being restored in our works too! Say hello to Hannah!" Toby was startled by the coach's extremely eager grin.

"Hello, Hannah." He greeted politely but calmly. Hannah beamed.

"I've 'eard all about ya, Tobeh! I'm really excited to be workin' with you! Let's get goin'! Come on!" The Fat Controller chuckled nervously.

"Easy, Hannah. Plenty of time to get started! Now, work well, you two!" He climbed down and walked away, leaving Toby to look at Hannah; the coach's face was frozen in a perpetual grin. Toby was about to say something when Hannah yelled, startling him.

"Come on, Tobeh! Let's get started! Chop chop!" Toby chuckled nervously; Hannah was making him feel a bit uneasy.

"Just a second, Hannah; after I fill up on water!" Toby rolled over to the water tower and started filling up. He was there for all of five seconds before…

"ARE YA DONE YET, TOBEH?" The tram engine blinked in surprise as he heard Hannah yelling at him across the yard.

"I just started, Hannah!"

"Oh!…ARE YA DONE _NOW, _TOBEH?" Toby sighed; this was going to be a long day.

* * *

Toby and Hannah were soon headed across the junction towards the branch line. Toby was traveling at his usual slow pace, but this didn't sit well with Hannah.

"Can't ya go any fastah than this? You're being such a _slowcoach_, Tobeh!" Toby rolled his eyes.

"No, Hannah, I'm perfectly happy at this pace, thank you." Hannah pouted as they puffed along. Suddenly, they heard a whistle and James thundered past with some coaches.

"Look sharp, Toby! Important engine coming through!" He blasted his whistle, causing Hannah to gasp in amazement.

"Look at how fast _'e's_ goin', Tobeh! Can't we just speed oop a _little?_" Toby sighed.

"No, Hannah. I prefer to go slow and steady." Hannah snorted.

"Well, _maybeh _today is the day where ya blow away the _cobwebs_ and start to _live _a little! Come _on_, Tobeh!" The tram engine was unamused.

"_No_, Hannah. I'm not built to go that fast and neither are you." Hannah harrumphed and pouted as she and Toby continued towards the branch line.

* * *

Toby and Hannah made it a short distance down the line before they reached a level crossing where Bertie was waiting. Hannah had another idea to go fast, and smiled sweetly.

"Tobeh?" She was met with an irritated sigh.

"What is it, Hannah?"

"If ya went a teenseh-tineh eenie-weenie _itseh-bitseh_ bit fastah, then ya could get all ya jobs done earleh! That sounds nice, yeah?" Toby rolled his eyes.

"No way, Hannah. This pace is fine." Hannah groaned.

"Come _on, _Tobeh, going this slow is _torture!_" Suddenly, as they started to cross the crossing, she got another idea and smirked.

"Alright, Tobeh; if ya don't _want _ta go any fastah, then I'll have ta show ya how fun it really is! COME ON, TOBEH! SPEED OOP!" Toby yelped in surprise as Hannah surged all her weight against his buffers and he began to pick up speed.

"Gah! Hannah! What are you doing?" He shouted, but the carriage didn't pay any attention, just cheering at the increased speed. Bertie could only blink in surprise as the tram and coach surged past, the latter whooping in glee and the former yelling in terror. As Toby rocketed out of sight, Bertie frowned.

"And he didn't even ask for a race!" He fumed, and continued on once the gates had opened.

* * *

Toby desperately tried to regain control, but Hannah was pushing against him too hard and he was going too fast. Suddenly, he saw Percy approaching the points up ahead; if he kept going they could crash!

"Hannah! We need to stop!" Toby cried. Hannah stopped her cheering to raise an eyebrow.

"Why? The fun's barely started! WHEE!" Percy saw Toby approaching now and blasted his whistle before slamming on his brakes. Toby winced as he began to speed.

"Percy's in the way!" Hannah snorted confidently.

"Wot's a Percy? I'll tell ya wot a Percy is; not fastah than _me, _that's what! We can beat 'im! FASTAH! RIDE LIKE THE _WIND_, TOBEH! WOO-HOO!" Percy managed to stop just in time for a screaming Toby and a delighted Hannah to rocket past. As soon as he jerked to a stop, he watched them disappear into the distance.

"Toby! What do you think you're playing at?" He called angrily. Toby cringed before looking back at Hannah.

"Right, that's it! Hannah, we _need _to stop! That was dangerous!" Hannah rolled her eyes.

"Dangerous schmangerous, Tobeh! _I _call it a _thrill!_" Toby suddenly saw the footbridge before Dryaw and gasped. He screwed on his brakes hard and finally managed to jolt to a stop in the platform. Hannah bumped into him and the passengers groaned, but Toby was just happy to have stopped as they disembarked. He let out a sigh of relief and tried to catch his breath. To his chagrin, Hannah was undeterred.

"Why are we stoppin'?" She asked. Toby was very close to losing his temper but managed to contain himself.

"We have to pick up and drop off passengers, Hannah; that's our _job._" Hannah rolled her eyes as some passengers disembarked and others climbed aboard the train.

"_Peskeh _passengers; always gettin' in the way of me speed!" Toby frowned.

"Hannah, you need to calm d-" He was cut off by the guard blowing the whistle. Hannah's manic grin instantly returned.

"Time ta go, Tobeh! Time for SPEED!" Toby didn't have any time to retort before Hannah surged into him again as he was sent barreling down the branch line, shouting in terror.

* * *

Much of the remainder of Toby's morning with Hannah went like this, and he was relieved when they finally were making their way back to the yard. All the same, it wasn't over yet, as Hannah was still pushing against Toby's buffers as they approached the signal. Toby groaned and looked back.

"Hannah! Stop pushing me _right now_! The signal is _red!_" Suddenly, Toby heard a whistle and gasped; James was coming! Toby screwed his brakes on and managed to stop just in time for James to pass, trying to catch his breath as he did so. James hadn't noticed Toby's sudden stop and simply gave him an unimpressed look.

"Tired out from a day on the branch line? You should go to the Steamworks, Toby; I think something might be wrong!" Toby was fuming, not helped by Hannah continuing to whoop and cheer behind him.

"What a rush! Wasn't that fun, Tobeh?" Toby clenched his teeth.

* * *

"Why are ya just leavin' me here, Tobeh? There's work ta do!" Hannah asked as Toby left her on a siding in the station yards. Toby sighed.

"Yes, Hannah, there is; _I _have to take trucks to the quarry!" Hannah frowned.

"I could go with ya!"

"NO. You're staying here. Enjoy your rest, Hannah." Toby rang his bell and went off to fetch his trucks, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as Hannah was out of earshot.

"At last…some peace and quiet…" Hannah, however, wasn't nearly as fond of peace and quiet as Toby was. She sat still for a few seconds before groaning.

"This is so _borin'! _It's no fun sittin' around with nothin' ta do!" She looked across the station yard to try and find something exciting, but she heard something that piqued her interest at one of the platforms.

"Philip! Where are my coaches? Honestly, there's so many engines working in this shunting yard that I should never be late! WHAT'S THE HOLDUP?" Hannah spotted James waiting impatiently in the platform for his coaches. She thought to herself.

"That's that _fast _engine from before! If 'e takes me out I'm _bound _to get some speed in! More than that spoilsport _Tobeh _anyway! YOO-HOO! RED ENGINE! OVER 'ERE!" James raised an eyebrow as Hannah's shrill voice rang out across the station before his eyes fell on the carriage.

"Are you talking to me?" Hannah snorted.

"Do ya see any other red engines around here?" James smirked.

"Well, none as _splendid _as me."

"Does 'splendid' mean fast?" James' smirk fell as he blinked in surprise.

"Well, no, but I _am _fast, if I do say so myself." Hannah beamed.

"Great! You need a coach, and _I _need ta go fast, so why don't ya take me out?" James snorted.

"You? You don't look like you can handle _my _speed; you're just a carriage!" Hannah smirked.

"I'm not just any carriage, I've gone _loads _faster before! I just need to go fast! Please?" Hannah was lying; she _hadn't_ gone that fast before. James didn't know this however, so he simply gave a confident smile.

"Of course; who am I to deny a carriage in need! PHILIP! ADD THIS CARRIAGE TO MY TRAIN!"

"Right away, James!" Hannah grinned; her plan was working!

* * *

"THIS IS SO FUN! I'M GOING SO FAST! HAHA!" Hannah whooped and cheered as she rocketed along the main line behind James and his coaches. James smirked as he heard Hannah's cheering and sped up even more. However, his smirk dropped when he heard a rattling noise from the back of the train.

"What's that sound?" Hannah wasn't designed to go at such high speeds and, as a result, she was starting to jerk back and forth on her chassis. Her passengers groaned as they felt her rattle back and forth, but Hannah didn't seem to notice. If she did, she didn't care; she was having the time of her life! Suddenly, however, she heard a loud "CRACK" and felt a sharp pain in her axles.

"Ouch! Wot was that?" Hannah suddenly felt herself start to bounce up and down on her wheels. James' high speed only made her bounce more and more, and her passengers held onto their seats to try and stabilize themselves.

"Ow! STOP! STOP! I'M COMIN' OFF ME CHASSIS!" She wailed, but James couldn't hear her over his pounding pistons. However, her guard soon managed to grab the emergency cable and tugged it as hard as he could. James felt the force and started to brake to a halt.

"What's the matter?" He snapped as the train slowed to a stop. His driver looked out of the cab window and pointed at Hannah, who was looking rather lopsided.

"Ouch…" She groaned. James was fuming.

"I thought you said you'd gone this fast before!" Hannah didn't reply; she simply groaned in pain instead.

* * *

Hannah's passengers crowded into the other coaches and James had to slowly pull the train to Crovan's Gate so a bouncing Hannah could be moved onto a siding. He was not pleased with her at all.

"You silly carriage! Stay on the branch line where you belong and stop delaying my main line trains!" Hannah looked down at her buffers as James shunted her to the back of the siding before returning to his train and continuing on, grumbling to himself.

"Utterly ridiculous…they won't let me hear the end of it…" Hannah watched James leave and remained on her siding, perfectly still.

* * *

Hannah sat on her siding all day. She could see fast trains and slow trains passing by and envied them all, no matter their speed.

"I don't care what speed I'm goin', I just don't want to sit still anymore!" She groaned as the sun began to set. Suddenly, she heard a bell and was surprised to see Toby approaching the station.

"Tobeh? What are you doin' 'ere?" The tram engine managed to force a smile.

"I've come to take you to the works, Hannah." Hannah smiled as Toby backed onto her siding and his driver coupled them up.

"Oh, thank ya, Toby. I'm sorry I was so rude to ya, and that I tried to make ya go fastah. I know I'm not _designed_ to go that fast…" Toby was surprised.

"It's, um, alright, Hannah. I'm glad you've learned your lesson."

* * *

It didn't take them long to get to the Steamworks, where Henrietta was waiting as good as new.

"Henrietta! You're repaired!" Toby beamed. He couldn't see Hannah raising an eyebrow behind him.

"'enrietta?" She muttered. Henrietta smiled at the tram engine.

"Oh, Toby, it's so lovely to see you ag-" Henrietta did a double-take when she saw the coach behind Toby.

"Is that Hannah?" Toby was bewildered as Hannah gave a sheepish grin.

"'iya, sis."

"Sis? Are you two _sisters?_" Toby asked incredulously. Henrietta sighed.

"Toby, I'm guessing I never told you about my sister, 'Hasty Hannah'?" Toby looked at his buffers.

"No, you didn't." He replied. Henrietta rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess; she's here because she went too fast and damaged herself _again_." Toby blinked.

"Well, yes." Henrietta gave her sister an irritated look.

"How surprising." Hannah chuckled sheepishly.

* * *

As Toby and Henrietta left the Steamworks, the carriage explained everything.

"It's an endless cycle with her. She wants to go fast, she hurts herself, swears she never wants to do it again, and then ends up coming right back to it in a matter of days. It happened all the time back in our workshops; I'm surprised she hasn't shaken herself apart by this point!" Toby chuckled.

"Well, that certainly explains a lot. Either way, it seems like she's on Sodor for the time being…maybe this time she's learned her lesson?" Toby suddenly heard a shrill voice coming from the Steamworks.

"'urry oop, ya slowcoaches! I need to get movin' again or I'll rust! 'ustle! 'ustle! Come on!" Hannah barked as Victor and Kevin moved parts into place to start her repairs. Toby chuckled as the Steamworks, and Hannah, got farther and farther away.

"On the other hand, some things never change." Toby and Henrietta laughed as they puffed away into the sunset, glad to be reunited.

**THE END**

* * *

Another rewrite complete! I found the way Toby is portrayed in the original _Hasty Hannah _wildly out-of-character and it hampered the viewing experience of the episode for me. However, Hannah is a very fun idea for a character and I loved writing her here, upping her craziness so she's a bit more on the level of Bradford, another Lee Pressman-created rolling stock character. Incorporating James into more of the plot was also fun, as he was mainly a plot device in the actual episode. The one drawback of doing it this way is that Henrietta, consistently a wonderful character in the CGI series, had a bit of a downplayed role, but seeing as we just saw a ton of her in _The Rails to Redemption _I thought it was a worthy sacrifice to make for a better story. Hannah will now be a recurring character in my original stories starting with Set 3, along with the other newbies/returnees/whatever Big Mickey is classified as that are established here.

Speaking of new characters, what's next:

\- _New Crane on the Dock _(based on the story by Lee Pressman)

\- _Red Engine Rivalry _(based on _The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor _by Helen Farrall)

\- _Quiet in the Shed _(based on _A Shed for Edward _by Lee Pressman)

\- _Terence & Trevor_

_\- Battle of the Buses - _An argument between Bertie and Bulgy escalates to a competition over who can take more passengers in a day where the loser gets re-routed, but Bertie is forced to get creative when Bulgy steals all his passengers from his stops, leaving Bertie with none of his own!


	5. New Crane on the Dock

**NEW CRANE ON THE DOCK**

**BASED ON "CRANKY AT THE END OF THE LINE" AND "NEW CRANE ON THE DOCK" BY LEE PRESSMAN**

One morning, the Fat Controller came down to Brendam Docks for a meeting with the Dock Manager. When he arrived, he could see that everyone was hard at work.

"Good morning, sir! It's a pleasure to see you again!" The Dock Manager greeted him. The Fat Controller smiled.

"Good to see you again too; I hope you've put the kettle on!" As the two men shared a jovial greeting, someone else was feeling rather stressed. Porter whistled impatiently at the enormous crane.

"Cranky, come on! What's taking you so long today? There's starting to be a _backlog _and I don't want the dockside to get disorganized!" He called. Cranky the Crane snorted as he turned around.

"I'll get to it when I get to it! Do you see how many ships I have to unload? Have a little patience, geez!" Porter rolled his eyes, but he couldn't see that the grumpy crane was starting to get rather nervous as he looked at all the ships moored along the dockside.

"Uh oh…can't be late, way too much to do!" He quickly dipped his hook into another ship's hull to try and unload it as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Fat Controller and the Dock Manager were walking along the dockside towards the latter's office.

"I'm looking forward to hearing your plans for-BLESS ME!" The Fat Controller yelped and grabbed onto the Dock Manager as a crate slammed down right in front of them. Once recovering from being startled, he looked up to the source of the crate and frowned angrily.

"Cranky! What do you think you're playing at?" He shouted. Cranky, who hadn't even noticed he'd almost hit the Fat Controller and Dock Manager with a crate, winced.

"Sorry, sir! Keeping busy, guess I didn't see you!" He chuckled nervously. The Fat Controller crossed his arms.

"If you're too busy to pay attention, Cranky, then I think it's time we get you some help!" Cranky raised an eyebrow.

"Help, sir? I don't need any help! I'm perfectly fine on my own!" He lifted his hook into the air and was surprised to see that a workman had been caught on it by accident.

"Put me down!" He shouted. Cranky chuckled nervously as he gently put the workman down on the ground, not liking the Fat Controller's stern look.

* * *

That night, Cranky was still anxious about the new arrival.

"I don't want some big new, fancy crane here! What if the Fat Controller wants to keep them and send me to the scrapyard?" He confided to Salty. The dockside diesel chuckled.

"You're worrying yourself over nothing, Cranky! Get some sleep and you'll feel a lot better about it all in the morning." He honked his horn and rolled away to shunt more trucks. Cranky sighed and shut his eyes to try to get to sleep, but his fear didn't go away.

* * *

As the night went on, the docks grew quiet. Cranky remained fast asleep. Suddenly, a creaking noise began to emanate from the crane and he began to lean back towards the sea, still asleep. Soon enough, the bolts from his base popped out and Cranky began to fall backwards into the sea, entirely unaware. Just as Cranky hit the water and began to sink…

* * *

…he woke up from his nightmare with a start, breathing heavily on the dockside. He noticed that he was still on the dock and gave a sigh of relief. As he turned to the side, he was startled to find an unfamiliar yellow crane beaming at him. She had the biggest smile on her face he had ever seen; it made Cranky rather uncomfortable.

"Gah!"

"Ey up, chuck! You must be Cranky; I could read your name on your side, ya know! You read the name on mine yet?" Cranky groaned, still groggy from just waking up and not quite used to the amount of energy this crane seemed to have. He squinted at the crane's side and read her name.

"'Carly'…" He read. Carly the Crane beamed.

"That's right! Carly's the name, lifting and loading is my game! And lifting _and _loading is what I plan to do while I'm here! I can't wait to get started! What kinds of ships come into here? I need to know what I'm lifting and loading so I can do it the best I possibly can!" Cranky noticed that this crane liked to talk. _A lot._

"You'll pick it up as you go along." Cranky grunted. Carly was undeterred by her co-worker's grumpy attitude.

"Ooh, fun! I do love a good surprise! Come on, Cranky! Let's get to work!" Cranky did a double-take as Carly slid away down the dockside on her gantry rail. He groaned as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Great. She _moves _too." He muttered.

* * *

Cranky and Carly were soon enough hard at work. Cranky could admit that the workload was less overwhelming, but he questioned whether or not that was worth it when Carly wouldn't stop talking. Every new engine that she saw, she couldn't help but strike up a conversation with.

"Percy! A handsome name for a handsome little engine!" Percy blushed, causing Cranky to roll his eyes.

"Wow! You two pulled all that here?" She gawked as Donald and Douglas pulled a goods train alongside her in the docks. Donald smirked.

"Aye, lassie."

"We did." Douglas added. Carly gasped.

"That's amazing! Two engines working together can be so strong!" Cranky let out a sharp nasal exhale as he stuck his hook into another ship's hull. Carly then looked behind the twins and saw the Troublesome Trucks giving her suspicious looks back.

"Hi there! Who might you little guys be? I'm Carly!"

"You have got to be kidding me." Cranky muttered, utterly dumbfounded. Salty rolled alongside the older crane with some trucks.

"Carly certainly seems to be making a splash!" He noted. Cranky didn't seem so amused.

* * *

Later, Cranky and Carly were working together to unload some trucks when Carly turned to the side facing away from Cranky and noticed something.

"Who's that, Cranky? I haven't had the chance to speak to him yet! I think I'll just pop on over and introduce myself!" Cranky's eyes widened when he saw who Carly was approaching.

"Carly, he doesn't t-"

"Hi! I'm new 'round here! What's your name? My name's Carly!" Cranky, Porter, and Salty's jaws collectively dropped as the enormous crane on the end of the dockside turned around, revealing a kind-looking older face who looked rather startled.

"Hello, Carly. My name's Big Mickey." He replied calmly. The others looked as if their eyes were going to bulge out of their heads, but Carly didn't notice.

"Big Mickey! What a great name! Well, I'm so excited to work with you, Big Mickey! With you, me, and Cranky working together, we'll keep this dockside going like a well-oiled machine!" Big Mickey chuckled.

"I look forward to working with you too. Welcome to the team, Carly." Carly grinned.

"Thanks, Big Mickey! We'll chat more later, but there's so much to do! We better get going!" She immediately turned around and started unloading a ship. Big Mickey made eye contact with Cranky, who remained stunned.

"I…I never knew." Big Mickey raised an eyebrow.

"You never asked." He then turned around to return to work, leaving Cranky still reeling; Carly certainly _was _making a splash.

* * *

Cranky heard the horn heralding the arrival of another ship and turned into position to get ready to unload it.

"I've got it!" He called. To his surprise, he found Carly already in position, eagerly waiting to get to work.

"Carly, I've got this one. There's plenty of other work to do." However, Carly remained smiling, much to Cranky's annoyance.

"Nah, no worries, chuck. You rest your hook and I'll take care of this ship for you!" Cranky looked at Carly suspiciously.

"Alright, fine." Cranky tried to rest, but he could see all the activity going on around the dockside and began to feel antsy. Finally, after sitting still for a while, he spotted some Troublesome Trucks that had yet to be unloaded sitting below him. He smirked and began to turn towards them to unload them. However, to his surprise, he found himself colliding crane arms with Carly, who still, of course, had a smile on her face. Cranky was dumbfounded.

"You're done, already?" Carly gestured to some newly loaded trucks below with her crane arm.

"Eyup. You can have this one if you want, Cranky." Cranky rolled his eyes.

"No, go ahead. I _insist. _Not like I have anything better to do than sit around twiddling my hook…" As Carly eagerly got to loading up the trucks, they whispered to one another.

"That big new, fancy crane seems to be taking a lot of Cranky's work…" One commented. Another smirked.

"Maybe she's been working so well that the Fat Controller wants to keep her…" They grinned maliciously and looked up at Cranky.

"…and get rid of Cranky!" Cranky continued to work, unaware of the trucks whispering about Carly replacing him.

* * *

As Salty and Porter shunted the trucks around the dockside, they would whisper to all the engines…

"Didn't ya hear? The Fat Controller's keeping Carly and getting rid of Cranky! Poor Cranky…" One whispered as Salty shunted them into Emily. Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my! That sounds terrible…" Salty watched the trucks leave with a suspicious expression.

* * *

"I don't know why all the trucks are saying it, Porter; it just can't be true!" Salty said to Porter as they shunted some trucks nearby Cranky. The crane raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, Salty?" Salty noticed Cranky was listening and smiled nervously.

"Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about, shipmate! Just a silly rumor is all." At that moment, a whistle blasted and Thomas sped into the docks with some trucks.

"Salty! Porter! Is is true that the Fat Controller wants to replace Cranky and keep Carly?" He asked. Salty paled as he saw Cranky's face twist in anger.

"Oh, barnacles. Cranky, listen, it's j-" Salty didn't get the chance to speak before the crane angrily turned in Carly's direction. The cheery crane was busy unloading a ship, and didn't notice Cranky glaring daggers at her until she heard his voice.

"That's it! I've had enough of you being so…_happy! _I know what you're up to, so you can drop the act!" Carly put down the crate she was holding and raised an eyebrow at Cranky.

"Eh? Is something up, Cranky?" Cranky was fuming!

"I _know _you're trying to replace me, and it's not going to happen!" Carly was stunned.

"I would never want to replace you! I would never want to replace _anybody!_" Her smile finally dropped out of concern. Cranky growled.

"Whoever completes more work between us gets to stay. The other is _scrap metal_ on the _bottom of the ocean._" Salty, Porter, and Thomas felt rather awkward witnessing their argument; even Big Mickey turned around at the disturbance. Carly looked as if she were about to cry.

"I don't understand! I thought I was getting along with everyone so well!" She lamented. Salty looked up at Cranky and gave him a pleading look.

"Cranky, come off it! It's just a silly rumor!" He hissed. Cranky didn't seem to hear.

"Are you _forfeiting_ or not?" He glared intensely at Carly. The younger crane steadied her nerves and glared back at Cranky, a fire in her eyes he hadn't seen yet.

"You're on, _chuck._" Big Mickey's eyes widened.

"I think this is just a simple misunderstanding-"

"You've kept your mouth shut for _years_, Big Mickey, and I would prefer if it stayed that way!" Cranky snapped. Big Mickey's eyes narrowed as Cranky and Carly glared at one another.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, you two?" Porter asked, concerned. Cranky rolled his eyes.

"Yes! Now just give us a countdown already!" Porter winced.

"Alright…3, 2, 1…go!" He blew his whistle and Cranky and Carly started off, loading and unloading everything in sight. Salty and Porter could hardly keep providing the cranes new trucks to unload into at the rate they were going. However hard Carly worked, Cranky worked even harder, which caused Carly to work even harder all over again. Big Mickey watched their hooks flying around the dockside in concern.

"Slow down, please. I think all your rushing about is a bit unsafe." He remained calm, but was clearly starting to get a little miffed. Porter groaned as he barely managed to get a truck under Carly before she nearly slammed a load right into the dockside.

"This is ridiculous! Can you two stop fighting for _one moment_?" Suddenly, a ship honked its horn as it rolled into the docks, Cranky and Carly locked eyes and narrowed their gazes.

"I got it!" Carly called first, before jetting down her gantry rail to get closer to the ship. Cranky growled.

"No, _I _got it!" Then there was trouble. Cranky and Carly both quickly turned towards the ship at the same time, not realizing how close they were to one another. Suddenly, with a loud bump, their crane arms knocked into each other and the resulting force caused their cables to start to wrap around one another. They barely had any time to react before their hooks connected and they realized that they had tied themselves together. Salty and Porter gave each other horrified looks. Cranky groaned as he tried to tug his hook free.

"Let go of me, _cheater!_" He growled. Carly tried to pull her hook free too, but found that it was also stuck.

"I didn't _cheat! _It was an accident!"

"Well, let go!"

"I can't!"

"_ENOUGH!_" The two cranes were stunned to hear the loudest thing out of Big Mickey they had ever heard. The hammerhead crane had a stern expression on his face.

"You two aren't getting free because you're pulling in opposite directions, which, in fact, is what you've been doing all day." Cranky rolled his eyes.

"Great, a lecture. My _favorite._" Big Mickey continued to glare at him, causing him to shrink back a bit. Big Mickey continued.

"You two are a team; we all are. You're supposed to be working together, not _against _one another. Back in my old harbour, there were two fleets of tugboats who pulled barges and docked ships all over the port. However, they were constantly against each other, and never wanted to work together. One day, a tugboat from one fleet was carrying a tall bridge section down a canal that crossed under a railway bridge. Right at the bridge, he encountered a tugboat from the other fleet carrying a wide load; there was only room for one to pass. They argued, and eventually the tugboat with the taller load charged the bridge…not noticing that his load was _too _tall. He jammed it under, causing the railway bridge to collapse. _He_ would've noticed the height of the bridge section had he not been so focused on competing and _you two _would've not gotten your hooks tangled had you not listened to silly rumors and thrown working together out the window." Cranky knew Big Mickey was right, and looked down to see Carly looking up at him with a sad expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Cranky. I shouldn't have kept jumping in; I wouldn't have if I knew how much it was upsetting you. I messed everything up on my first day…" Cranky sighed.

"No, Carly, it's _my_ fault. I should have just said something instead of being rude and getting competitive…I'm sorry for making you feel unwelcome." Carly smiled.

"Thanks, Cranky." Cranky cracked a small smile before looking to their tangled hooks.

"Now, let's get this sorted out. On the count of three, we put slack in our chains so our hooks fall to the ground. One…two…three!" Cranky and Carly lowered their hooks to the ground, allowing a workman to come over, unhook them, and spin the cables around so that they were separate again. Carly beamed.

"We did it!" A wise smile crossed Big Mickey's face.

"As a team should." He added.

* * *

Soon enough, Cranky and Carly were back at work again. A ship had docked right next to them, and the two of them were working together to unload it.

"How's your hull looking, Carly?" Cranky asked as he unloaded the ship's other hull. Carly beamed.

"Almost empty, Cranky! How's yours?" Cranky smirked.

"Almost empty too! Let's not make a race out of it!" The two laughed. Big Mickey, watching the two work with Porter and Salty, chuckled.

"That's how things should be; two cranes working in perfect harmony." He mused. Carly immediately turned around and gave him an enormous smile.

"Don't you mean _three _cranes?" Big Mickey smiled back and winked at Carly before getting to work unloading another on his side of the dock. From then on, three cranes _did _work in perfect harmony.

**THE END**

* * *

Well this is a huge departure from canon, isn't it? I always found _Cranky at the End of the Line _to be a very, very thin episode that doesn't really need to exist when its point can be established in a few scenes; Cranky fears another crane is going to replace him. This is the reason I have consolidated the two episodes into one, leaving an extra episode from the rest of the season. I've also attempted to give both Carly and Big Mickey more evident personalities; Carly is a cheery chatterbox who wants to be everyone's friend, and Big Mickey doesn't say much but always has something important to convey when he does. Big Mickey has also been worked into the plot more, and the _TUGS _reference with his story to Cranky and Carly is to add an extra layer of fan-service that, one again, contributes something to the story (since he did very little in the actual episode). Carly and Big Mickey will now be regular fixtures at the Docks for Set 3 and beyond, and have a few tales with they play big roles.

As always, what's next:

\- _Red Engine Rivalry _(based on _The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor_ by Helen Farrall)

\- _Quiet in the Shed _(based on _A Shed for Edward _by Lee Pressman)

\- _Terence & Trevor_

_\- Battle of the Buses_

_\- Rusty & The Passengers - _Rusty has to pull Sir Handel's passengers after the selfish little engine has an accident, but Sir Handel finds upon his return that the passengers like Rusty more than him!


	6. Red Engine Rivalry

**RED ENGINE RIVALRY**

**BASED ON "THE FASTEST RED ENGINE ON SODOR" BY HELEN FARRALL**

Rosie the Pink Tank Engine was feeling bored. Everywhere she looked she could see other engines being really useful, but not her; she had been stuck in the shed. As Thomas fetched Annie and Clarabel, he could see that his friend was unhappy and rolled alongside her shed to talk to her.

"Hey, Rosie. Is something wrong?" He asked. Rosie sighed.

"I've been sitting around in the yards for weeks, Thomas! Everyone else has a job to do or somewhere important to be, but all I do is shunt a train or two a day! I don't like sitting around like this…I feel a bit, well, useless, honestly." She explained. Thomas frowned.

"I'm sorry, Rosie…you can take Annie and Clarabel out today if you'd like!" He smiled, trying to cheer her up.

"Oh yes!" Clarabel added.

"We'd be happy to have you!" Annie finished. Rosie, however, remained sad.

"No thank you, Thomas; that's _your _job." Suddenly, the yard manager walked up.

"Rosie, do you mind shunting the next goods train? The others are busy."

"Yes, sir." She whistled and began to puff away to shunt her trucks.

"Thanks anyway." She said. Thomas watched his friend leave with concern.

* * *

Rosie was soon enough shunting the Troublesome Trucks into line. They knew that she was upset too and relentlessly teased her about it. As she banged them together, the trucks began to sing.

"_Rosie sits around in the yard_

_ Feeling really useless!_" Rosie rolled her eyes as she collected some trucks from a siding.

"_If she sits still for one more second…_

_ She's bound to blow a fuse-less!_" She banged into more trucks, trying to stop their singing to no avail.

"_Rosie, hate to break it to ya!_" One taunted as she rolled in between two trucks.

"_Time to drop a bomb-as!_" The other sneered.

"_On this island, you're extra weight!_

_ WE ONLY NEED ONE THOMAS!_" The trucks broke out into laughter as Rosie hauled them into the goods platform of the station building. She growled and bumped them hard.

"Be quiet!" She snapped, but the trucks kept laughing at her. As Rosie left the station in a huff, she failed to notice the Fat Controller standing outside his office, watching with concern. He crossed his arms.

"Oh, dear. This won't do at all." He watched her return to the yard, but was cut off by Gordon clearing his throat.

"Aren't you coming aboard, sir?" He asked. The Fat Controller frowned and began to walk towards one of Gordon's coaches.

"Yes, of course, thank you, Gordon." Once he had stepped inside, the guard blew the whistle and Gordon began to leave the station with the express.

* * *

The Fat Controller thought about Rosie the whole way to Vicarstown. As he flipped through his newspaper, he couldn't get the poor engine out of his head.

"I need to find something for her to do…no engine wants to be a layabout." He mused as he looked out of the window and saw Vicarstown station coming into view. However, he and the other passengers were surprised when they stopped short of the platform.

"What's going on?"

"Why have we stopped?" The Fat Controller stuck his head out of the window and looked to the front of the train.

"Gordon! Why have we stopped?" He called. Gordon snorted.

"There's trucks in my platform, sir!" Sure enough, the Fat Controller looked ahead and saw a line of Troublesome Trucks sitting in the station platform. One saw him and blew a raspberry. As he looked across the station, he could see that it was complete and utter chaos. Henry was sitting in one platform with a goods train and whistled impatiently. Emily was in another with her coaches and whistled to try and get an engine to take the coaches away that were currently blocking her from getting all the way into the station.

"Where is everybody?" She called. Finally, a horn blasted and the Fat Controller could see Paxton rushing past Gordon into the station.

"Sorry, everyone! I was at the quarry! Only just got here!" He called as he quickly switched lines, coupled up to the trucks in front of Gordon, and pulled them away. Gordon rolled his eyes as he entered the station.

"Oh, the indignity…" Elsewhere, the Fat Controller could see the other utility engines trying to restore the station to order.

"Sorry I'm late, was getting other work done! Heh…" Samson chuckled nervously as he removed the coaches blocking Emily's path, causing her to glare. Across the station, Donald and Douglas were taking Henry's goods train away.

"We've got work of our own tae do, ya knoo!" Donald snapped as Henry glared.

"Aye, ye should be grateful!" Douglas added. The Fat Controller's eyes narrowed; he had an idea.

"Hmm…"

* * *

"…which is why I am appointing _you _the new Station Pilot of Vicarstown!" He finished telling Rosie when he came to visit her shed later. Rosie's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"_Me, _sir?" She squeaked. The Fat Controller smiled.

"I know you've been sitting around doing nothing a lot recently, Rosie. I am fully confident you will excel at this job; it's right up your alley!" Rosie thought for a moment before a smile crossed her face.

"Alright, sir. I'll do it." The Fat Controller looked proudly at his new station pilot.

"That's a good engine! Now run along to the Steamworks, Rosie. We need to paint our railway's lettering on you so everyone can tell you apart from all the Mainland engines coming into the station!" Rosie whistled and set off.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Rosie soon enough arrived at the Steamworks and rolled onto the turntable, excited for her new lettering. However, she could see that Victor had a bit of a nervous expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Victor?" Victor chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, Rosie, you may have to wait a bit for us to finish your lettering…we've, um, run out of your specific shade of paint. So sorry." Rosie frowned for a moment, but spotted some pots of paint in a different color across the Steamworks and had an idea.

"I have a new job…maybe it's time for a new _color _too?" Victor raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Soon enough, Rosie's repaint was completed and she rolled out of the Steamworks as good as new. Victor and Kevin were very impressed by her new livery and gawked in amazement.

"Wow!" Kevin gasped. Rosie's pink paint was gone and replaced with a new cherry red. Her once white tank panels were now a deeper shade of red, similar to that of a raspberry. Portrayed in proud letters on her tanks were "NWR", and she now had a number, "37", on her cab. Her freshly polished headlamp glistened in the sun. She grinned proudly before giving Victor and Kevin a smile.

"Thanks, you guys!" She whistled.

"Now to get to work…" She smirked confidently and set off towards Vicarstown.

* * *

Rosie is a red tank engine who shunts trucks and coaches at Vicarstown, the last station on the main line. She is hardworking and respectful, and does her jobs without fuss.

"Thank you, Rosie!" Donald called as she finished shunting another one of him and Douglas' trains.

"You've really done wonders with this yard!" Paxton told her as she rolled alongside with his goods train, causing her to smile.

"Thanks, Paxton!" However, she doesn't stand laziness or silliness, and keeps her yard a tight ship.

"Diesel, what are you doing?" She asked dully as she saw Diesel taking on fuel at a fueling station.

"Just taking on fuel." He shuffled uncomfortably. Rosie raised an eyebrow.

"Is that why you've left your trucks sitting in the middle of my yard?" She looked to Diesel's trucks, which sure enough had been left in the middle of the line. Diesel grinned sheepishly before rolling his eyes.

"_You're _the station pilot; why don't _you _do something about it?" Rosie gave him a glare.

"What do I look like, your maid? _You _put your trucks on the siding and _I _take them where they need to go from there; do your part of the work!" Diesel grumbled away to move his trucks, leaving Rosie to smirk in satisfaction. Rosie loves her new job, her new livery, and everyone agrees that she is a really useful engine.

* * *

…well, almost everyone.

"_Rosie_ is _red!? _Red red? Like _me _red? _James _red? _Splendid _red? Are you teasing me, Thomas?" James snapped in Tidmouth Sheds one morning. Thomas, on the turntable, chuckled.

"What's the problem, James? You're not the _only _red engine on Sodor, you know!" Emily, sitting nearby James in the sheds, smirked.

"You should give it a look, James! Very _stylish_ and _splendid_." She teased. James fumed.

"That silly little Rosie! What right does she have to go around stealing _my_ color? She's _cramping _my _style_! I'm going to Vicarstown and giving her a piece of my mind!" As soon as Thomas had moved off the turntable, James puffed on and, once he was directed where he needed to go, stormed off in a huff. Thomas gave Emily a glance and Emily chuckled.

* * *

Rosie was shunting trucks in Vicarstown Yards later that morning when she heard a whistle and James fumed into the yards with some Troublesome Trucks. His eyes scanned the yard before he saw her and started making a beeline for her. Rosie was shocked by James suddenly charging at her and shut her eyes tightly. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a loud squeaking and she winced at the high-pitched noise. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a very furious James staring at her.

"Was that your brakes, James? You should get them checked out w-"

"Don't change the subject!" Rosie was taken aback.

"What?"

"I _know _you've been gallivanting around this yard stealing _my _color! Can you _not _copy other engines for once?" Rosie was starting to get offended.

"I haven't done that in _years!_" She snapped. James glared at her.

"You copied Thomas all the time, and now you're copying me. Look, Rosie, congratulations on your new job and everything, but there's _already _a splendid red engine on this island, and it's me! Stop trying to be someone you're not." Rosie was stunned. She promptly reversed and started puffing away. James raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you going? You have to take my trucks away!"

"SHUNT YOUR OWN TRUCKS!" She snapped back, leaving James to blink in surprise. Once she was out of sight and he had processed her insult. He huffed and started puffing away, dragging his trucks behind him.

"Silly Rosie…red is _my _color…" He suddenly heard a horn and stopped to let another train cross the junction. He winced as he heard his brakes squeaking loudly again.

"I should get them checked…eh, it's probably nothing." Once the way was clear, James continued on, not realizing that his brakes were quite worn out.

* * *

In another part of the yard, Rosie was trying to continue her work. She banged a few trucks together to try and shunt another train, but they had overheard what James had told her and were teasing her about it.

"Thomas used to bump us like that…those were the days." One truck mock-nostalgically mused after Rosie bumped her latest lot. She rolled her eyes and reversed to get some more trucks. However, the truck she bumped into were nasty too.

"Look at Rosie! She's so useless that she has to copy other engines to feel useful!" One called and the others laughed. The first group of trucks joined them and Rosie's face turned as red as her paintwork. Finally, she banged into the trucks behind her, causing them to cry out in pain, as she puffed onto a siding to calm herself down. Slowly, the anger in her face morphed into sadness, and she looked dejectedly at her buffers. Suddenly, she heard a whistle and saw Thomas carefully roll alongside with Annie and Clarabel.

"Rosie? Are you okay?" He asked with a concerned expression. Rosie sighed.

"No, not really, Thomas. James was here and chewed me out for 'stealing his color' and said that all I do is copy other engines…I got painted red because I wanted to have a fresh start here and to have everyone take me more seriously. I want to be my _own _engine, Thomas, but I feel like I can't be." Thomas gave Rosie a sympathetic smile.

"Don't listen to James, Rosie. He doesn't own the color red, as much as he likes to think he does. Besides, it's not how we look that makes us really useful; it's what we do. _You, _Rosie, are a very useful engine, and that's because you're you!" Rosie cracked a small smile.

"Thanks, Thomas. That's very kind of you." Thomas grinned.

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true." He whistled and puffed away, leaving Rosie to watch him leave as a wider smile spread across her face.

* * *

Later, Rosie was shunting trucks in her yard when her yard manager walked over.

"Diesel's broken down; can you take his trucks to Knapford please?" Rosie raised an eyebrow as she saw smoke coming from Diesel across the yard.

"Bad fuel…heh heh." Rosie rolled her eyes.

"Shocking. I'd be happy to take those trucks for you, sir."

* * *

Soon enough, Rosie had reached Knapford and was moving her trucks onto a siding outside the station when she suddenly heard a loud, familiar whistle.

"Is that James?" Suddenly, James appeared in the distance, screaming with a long, heavy train behind him.

"HELP! HEEEEEELP!" He wailed. Rosie gasped when she saw him approaching the junction.

"He's headed for the station! I have to stop him!" Quickly, she left her trucks and raced onto the junction. As she approached a signalbox, she blasted her whistle frantically, causing the signalman to switch the points to direct James away from the station. James screamed as he and his heavy train thundered past Rosie across the junction away from the station. Rosie braked to a halt as fast she could before starting to reverse and follow after the heavy train.

"Slow down, James!" She called.

"I can't! My brakes have failed!" He cried back. Rosie, still traveling backwards, sped up as the train thundered through the shunting yards. As the heavy train started to overtake Rosie, she gasped as she realized the direction they were going in.

"We're headed for Tidmouth Sheds!" She cried. She looked back, spotted a signal box and whistled frantically as she approached it. The signalman tried to change the points but it was too late, and James and the laughing trucks rocketed over the turntable before speeding into the sheds and bursting through the wall. Rosie coughed as she sped alongside the shed and found herself surrounded by dust. Once she had braked to a stop alongside the shed, she could see that James was badly dented and that he had demolished part of Tidmouth Sheds' wall. She gasped.

"James, are you alright?" James groaned dizzily.

"Since when were there two of you…?" He squinted at Rosie to try and correct his double vision. Rosie groaned and started speeding back towards the yards.

"Stay where you are, James! I'll get help!"

* * *

Rosie had soon collected Judy and Jerome the Breakdown Train, a flatbed, and a few empty trucks and had returned to the accident site. She wasted no time in clearing away James' unhurt trucks while the cranes lifted the damaged red engine himself onto the flatbed. By the time the Fat Controller had arrived aboard Thomas, most of the mess had been cleared.

"Huh. I didn't expect you to have most of the damage cleaned up already." He mused as he surveyed the accident site. He took a look at the now gaping hole in Tidmouth Sheds and his eyes widened.

"_That's_ not good." He muttered as he looked it over. He then turned around and walked towards Judy and Jerome.

"How on earth did this mess get cleared so quickly? I only heard about the accident now!" Judy grinned as Rosie returned to shunt away some more trucks of debris.

"It's that Rosie, sir; she's a real whiz!"

"Really gets right to it; Vicarstown's lucky to have her!" Rosie blushed as she stopped nearby the cranes and saw the Fat Controller looking proudly at her.

"You led the cleanup, Rosie?"

"Yes, sir." She replied.

"Well done. I hope you continue to run Vicarstown with as much ingenuity and resourcefulness as you've shown today." Rosie beamed.

"Thank you, sir." The Fat Controller then turned to look at James and crossed his arms.

"I'm told your accident was caused by worn-out brakes…now, what have we learned, James?" James pouted.

"I should've gotten them checked…" He muttered.

"_And?_" Thomas asked cheekily, before giving a glance to Rosie. James saw this and sighed.

"…and that there's room for more than one red engine on Sodor. Thank you for rescuing me, Rosie, especially after I was so rude to you." Rosie smirked up at James.

"I forgive you, James…as long as you promise to let _me _keep the red while _you _get a different color." James' face paled before Rosie burst out laughing.

"Only kidding, James!" Thomas, Judy, and Jerome all joined in her laughter. James looked at his mangled buffers.

"Ha ha…not funny." He muttered.

* * *

As Rosie and Thomas took James' flatbed to the Steamworks, one at the front, one at the back, James raised an eyebrow.

"I really don't understand how that accident got cleared up so fast." Thomas grinned.

"I do; it's something _only_ _Rosie _could do." Rosie blushed and beamed proudly before continuing on her journey, finally feeling like her own engine.

**THE END**

* * *

While the original _The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor _is fine on its own, as an introduction to Red Rosie it felt very underwhelming. Thus, in this reimagined version, Rosie is the star rather than a supporting player, and we find out exactly why and how she got her repaint and her new job, and the kind of personality she'll have in the future. Rosie is a quick-witted hard worker with a sense of humor and a sarcastic streak a mile wide, showing her growth from _Rampage of the Rail Bandits _without strictly tying it to that. Rosie's new job is also officially defined here as being the Vicarstown station pilot, a position she will continue to hold in my main series of stories. The Thomas-Rosie dynamic is an idea I always _thought _could be good, but the way the show did it was at best juvenile and worst creepy. Here, I tried to make it so Rosie clearly looks up to Thomas but also considers him a friend and he tries to support her, also a development from _ROTRB. _James didn't have as much focus here as he did in the original episode, but, to be honest, James gets plenty of attention already. Tidmouth Sheds is now damaged, meaning that it will need to be repaired...I wonder where that will lead?

As always, what's next:

\- _Quiet in the Shed _(based on _A Shed for Edward _by Lee Pressman)

_\- Terence & Trevor_

_\- Battle of the Buses_

_\- Rusty & The Passengers_

_\- The Celebrity - _Flying Scotsman becomes irritable when his many fans prevent him from resting peacefully at stations_._


	7. Quiet in the Shed

**QUIET IN THE SHED**

**BASED ON "A SHED FOR EDWARD" BY LEE PRESSMAN**

James had ran away with his trucks and had an accident.

"HELP!" He wailed as Rosie chased him into the yards and frantically whistled at a signalbox. However, James thundered across the turntable and burst through the wall of Tidmouth Sheds, leaving a gaping hole and rubble everywhere.

"Since when were there two of you?" He squinted at Rosie before woozily groaning.

* * *

Although Rosie had managed to clean up the accident quickly, it had left the Fat Controller in an awkward predicament. After he surveyed the enormous hole James' accident had left, which the Pack were already beginning to repair, he walked around the building and turned to face the engines.

"James' accident has caused me to have to temporarily move two of you to other sheds while your berths are repaired; any volunteers?" Thomas, having just arrived home from taking James to the Steamworks, rolled forwards.

"I'm sure Toby has room at Toryreck, sir." The Fat Controller smiled.

"Thank you, Thomas. Anyone else?" Suddenly, the engines heard a familiar horn as a diesel boxcab darted alongside the sheds.

"Oh, pick me! Pick me! Pick me!…what exactly am I being picked for?" Philip asked. The Fat Controller chuckled.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, Philip, but you already don't live in Tidmouth Sheds; anyone else?" Philip gasped.

"There's plenty of room in Knapford Sheds! Someone could sleep there!" Henry and Gordon gave each other glances.

"I'd like to actually _sleep _where I'm staying, Philip." Gordon replied. Suddenly, another engine rolled forwards.

"Thank you for offering, Philip; I'd be happy to stay with you at Knapford for a few days." Philip beamed.

"Yay! A _sleepover_! This is so exciting!" The Fat Controller looked up at Thomas and Edward.

"Thank you two for being so cooperative. Hopefully, the sheds can be repaired as soon as possible so your new arrangements aren't long!"

"Yes, sir!" They replied. Edward saw Philip eagerly grinning at him and smiled back.

* * *

Edward followed Philip all the way to Knapford Sheds, where he saw some of the other engines already resting inside. Stanley saw Edward first and rolled forwards to welcome him.

"Edward! Always a pleasure to see you! Heard you'll be staying with us for a few days?" He greeted in his usual charismatic way. Edward smiled as he reversed alongside Philip in the sheds.

"That's the plan; at least until Tidmouth Sheds is repaired, anyway." Stanley chuckled.

"Well, stay as long as you need; we're happy to have you." Philip could hardly contain his excitement.

"Come in! Come in! Make yourself at home!" Edward looked around the shed and smiled.

"It's certainly cozy." Edward then noticed that he and Philip seemed to be on one side of the shed while Stanley, Charlie, and Stafford were on the other, and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are the other engines all the way on that side?" He asked. Philip chuckled.

"Oh, I don't know. They like to sleep over there, and Stanley likes to have _me_ sleep here! It's a comfy little spot, so I don't mind!" Edward yawned.

"Fair enough. Well, Philip, I think it's about time I get some shuteye-"

"Y'know, James must've been going _really _fast to have a crash like that!" Philip butted in. Edward gave a tired smile.

"Yes, much too fast. Goodn-"

"Have _you _ever gone fast like that? Or had an accident?" Edward's eyes popped open; he could see that Stanley, Charlie, and Stafford were already fast asleep, and it suddenly occurred to him why they would make Philip sleep on the other side of the shed.

"Philip, I need to sl-"

"_I've _had a few accidents, but none of them were as exciting as James'! I did race Gordon once though, and…" As Philip continued to babble, Edward tried to shut his eyes and sleep but couldn't over the boxcab's incessant chatter.

* * *

Philip talked all through the night, and by the time the sun had risen Edward was absolutely exhausted.

"…and _that's _why it doesn't matter why I'm the number 68!" He finished. Edward gave a weak smile, clearly struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Thank you, Philip, but I must get to work now." Philip blinked in surprise once he realized the sun was up.

"Wow, is it morning already? I wasn't tired at all!" Philip heard Edward yawn and raised an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong, Edward?" Edward was very tired, but he didn't want to hurt Philip's feelings, so he simply said…

"Oh, it's nothing, Philip." Philip's smile returned.

"Okay! Anyway, must be off; coaches to shunt!" He honked and darted away, leaving Edward to groggily groan as his crew lit his fire and he puffed out of the shed, leaving Stanley, Stafford, and Charlie to give him pitying looks as he passed.

"Poor Edward…do you think one of us should sleep next to Philip tomorrow to give him a bit of a rest?" Stafford asked worriedly. Both Stafford and Charlie looked to Stanley, who scoffed.

"What, me? I'm the _head shunter; _I _deserve_ to be well-rested!" Charlie rolled his eyes while Stafford frowned.

* * *

Edward was soon enough out on the branch line with his coaches, and it was taking a lot of effort just to stay awake. He crawled along with his coaches behind him, and soon enough approached a red signal. He yawned as he braked to a halt.

"I really need to find somewhere peaceful to sleep tonight…can't be kept up all night by Philip again…" He failed to notice his eyelids slowly fluttering shut and, before he knew it, he was asleep at the signal. He was napping rather peacefully when he heard a whistle and jolted awake.

"Gah!" He looked to the nearby road and saw Trevor the Traction Engine nervously looking at him. He smiled.

"Oh, hello, Trevor. How are you?" Trevor looked up at Edward's signal.

"I'm fine, Edward, but, erm…did you know your signal is green?" Edward gasped and looked up; sure enough the arm had dropped and the light had gone green.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late! Sorry, Trevor!" He whistled and sped away with his coaches, causing Trevor to watch him go with concern.

* * *

Edward tried to make up for the lost time, but he still pulled into Wellsworth rather late. The passengers were not pleased.

"Sitting around in the middle of the line!"  
"I'm going to be late now!" The Fat Controller, who was standing on the platform, was not pleased either, and crossed his arms at Edward as he waited for an explanation. Edward chuckled nervously.

"It won't happen again, sir." The Fat Controller nodded.

"Being late isn't like you, Edward…is something wrong?" There was, but Edward knew Philip didn't mean any harm and he didn't want to get him in trouble, so he said…

"No, sir. Just a fluke."

* * *

Edward returned to the Shunting Yards to collect a goods train feeling exhausted, and sure enough, Philip was shunting his trucks when he arrived.

"Oh hi, Edward! How's your day been going? Mine's going pretty well." He chattered as he sped alongside the tired blue engine. Edward smiled weakly.

"Just a bit tired, Philip." Philip raised an eyebrow.

"Tired? Well, go take on some water; that should wake you up a bit!" Edward whistled and headed over to the water tower, but he couldn't see Philip's concerned expression.

* * *

"Stanley?" Philip asked as he raced alongside the tank engine shunting some trucks. Stanley raised an eyebrow.

"What's up, Philip?"  
"Why is Edward so tired? Is he uncomfortable in our shed?" He asked innocently. A nearby Charlie snickered before Stanley shot him a glare and he subsided. Stanley cleared his throat.

"Well, Philip, you see, the thing is…sometimes, um…well…" He tried to think of a way to say what he was trying to say without Philip getting upset, but was having trouble thinking of one. Stafford could see that Stanley was having trouble being direct, and approached the two engines.

"Well, Philip, maybe you should ask _Edward_ why he's so tired and then you can figure out a way to make him more comfortable." He suggested. Stanley sighed in relief.

"Yes, exactly! Ask Edward, Philip, and he'll tell you exactly what you need to do to make him more comfortable." A passing Charlie let out a cough that sounded a lot like "bequietandlethimsleep", causing Stanley to glare at him again. Philip, however, was entirely oblivious.

"Bless you, Charlie! And yes, I'll ask Edward what's bothering him tonight; thanks, Stanley! Thanks, Stafford!" He honked his horn and sped away, leaving Stanley and Stafford to share a concerned look.

* * *

Later that night, Edward returned to the sheds, not seeing Philip anywhere. He sighed in relief.

"At last, a good night's sleep…" He yawned and tried to shut his eyes.

"Hi, Edward!" They quickly popped open again once he realized that Philip was next to him.

"Hello, Philip." He greeted, trying to sound friendly but actually sounding more like he wished he was the one at the Steamworks instead of James. Philip grinned.

"I noticed how tired you were today, Edward, and I was wondering if there's anything I could do to help you be more comfortable!" Edward smiled.

"That's very kind of you, Philip, but I really would just like to sl-"

"Are you afraid of the dark? Maybe we could get you a nightlight! I…" Edward groaned as Philip talked again all night long.

* * *

The following day, the exhausted Edward tried to find other places to sleep.

"We've plenty of room at the dump, Edward!" Whiff grinned.

"Always happy to have guests!" Scruff added. Edward smiled.

"Thank you, you two, you're too k-" Edward stopped in his tracks when the smell of the dump wafted into his nostrils. He gagged.

"On second thought, I think I'll find somewhere else to sleep. Thanks anyway!" He whistled and reversed away to escape the smell. Whiff and Scruff shared a glance.

"People don't come over anymore…" Whiff muttered sadly.

* * *

"Of course, Edward! There's an extra shed right there!" Flynn pointed his water cannons at a shed nearby the Search and Rescue Centre building. Edward smiled as he rolled towards it.

"This should be perfect, thank you." Suddenly, however, he winced as the sound of a loud siren blared around the area.

"Ouch! Too loud!" He groaned.

"Fire at McColl's Farm!" Rocky called over the siren. Belle and Flynn turned on their sirens too and began to race away.

"_Fiery Flynn_ to the _Rescue!_" Flynn called theatrically. Belle rolled her eyes.

"No matter what time of day it is, always with the theatrics…" She muttered. Edward groaned at the loud noise.

* * *

At the end of the day, he sure enough found himself back in Knapford Sheds with Philip.

"How was your day, Edward? Mine was great! I shunted more trucks than any engine has ever shunted before…at least I think. I lost count, but I know it's a lot." Edward groaned as he looked at his reflection in a puddle and noticed that he had bags under his eyes.

* * *

Edward was so tired that he could barely stay awake the following day while pulling his first train, and as a result fell asleep…while still puffing along with his coaches behind him! He didn't see the red signal above him as he drifted out onto the junction, barely managing to avoid Gordon coming in the opposite direction.

"Edward! Watch out!" He called. Edward was sleeping like a rock. Philip, shunting trucks nearby the station, saw Edward approaching and honked excitedly.

"Edward! Hey, Edward!" Edward didn't respond; he just kept rolling towards the station. Philip raised an eyebrow in concern.

"Huh? Something's wrong!" Quickly, he dashed forwards to get a better look and gasped when he saw that Edward's eyes were shut.

"Oh no, he's asleep! Edward, please! You have to wake up! Edward!" He honked his horn as loudly as he could, but Edward didn't seem to hear.

"EDWARD!" Philip cried, and Edward finally jolted awake.

"Huh?" He was shocked to see Percy right in front of him, and screwed the brakes on hard.

"Edward!" Percy gasped, and shut his eyes tight. Edward strained to stop before finally lightly touching Percy's buffers with a "tink". He let out a sigh of relief as Philip rushed alongside.

"Edward! Are you alright?" The boxcab gasped. Edward yawned.

"I'm fine, thank you, Philip. Are you alright, Percy?" Percy whimpered, eyes wide from nearly being crashed into. Philip looked to Edward.

"You look exhausted! Why on Sodor are you so tired, Edward?" Edward hesitated for a moment and then sighed.

"Philip, don't take this the wrong way, but I really can't stay up all night talking like you do; I need my sleep to be really useful…" Philip looked at his buffers sadly, and Edward cringed.

"I'm sorry, Philip, I c-"

"No, Edward; _I'm _the one who should be sorry. I was so worried about how you were tired that I never even thought that it could be _me _making you tired. I promise that from now on, I'll try to be a better shedmate and be quieter at night." Edward smiled.

"That would be very nice, thank you, Philip."

* * *

Sure enough, that night, Edward had his first good night's sleep in days. Philip didn't say a word, and simply sat in the sheds as quiet as a mouse while Edward slept. Stanley and Stafford watched him before the latter smiled.

"This is the quietest he's been in weeks!" He whispered to Stanley, who chuckled.

"Maybe _we_ should've just asked him to stop talking!" The two laughed, but were promptly shushed by Philip.

"Shush! Edward's sleeping!" He hissed. Stanley blushed with embarrassment while Charlie promptly left the sheds to go onto a siding to laugh his buffers off.

* * *

A few days later, Tidmouth Sheds were repaired and Edward was getting ready to return home for the evening. He smiled at the shunting yard engines as he stood outside Knapford Sheds.

"Thank you all for letting me stay with you; certainly better than staying on a siding!" Stanley grinned.

"Of course." Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Wasn't your idea though, was it, Stan?" He teased, causing Stanley to roll his eyes. Philip rolled alongside Edward.

"You'll come back and visit, won't you?" He asked. Edward smiled.

"Of course. But for now, I can't wait to go home. Thank you, Philip." He whistled and began to head home. Philip grinned as he watched his friend leave.

"Bye, Edward! See you later!" As soon as Edward was out of sight, however, a sad look crossed Philip's face and he sighed. To his surprise, Stafford rolled alongside.

"Um, Philip, if you want, you can sleep on our side of the shed tonight since you've been so quiet recently." Philip was soon smiling again.

"Really? Oh, thank you! This is so exciting!" Stanley managed to force a smile but he clearly wasn't looking forward to the night.

* * *

As Philip settled into his shed, Edward was very happy to finally return to his for a good, quiet night's sleep.

"Night, everyone!" Edward called to the other engines, and promptly shut his eyes. However…

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the shed demolisher himself!"

"Welcome home, James! Managed to have any accidents on the way home?"

"Oh, go crash into a stationmaster's house, Thomas!" Edward groaned before chuckling and letting a small smile cross his face.

"There's no place like home!" He mused to no one in particular.

**THE END**

* * *

The biggest change is that Edward does not move out of Tidmouth Sheds, and he and Henry will remain members of the Steam Team in my canon. What does this mean for their replacements, Nia and Rebecca? Well, wait and see, but I do have plans for them. Instead of living at Wellsworth for some reason, Philip and the other shunting yard engines (Stanley, Stafford, and Charlie, which will be a recurring dynamic from here on out) live in Knapford Sheds, which is where Philip also stays. This episode is also the first appearance of my new interpretation of Stanley as an affable but passive-aggressive social climber who is the head station pilot of Knapford, a position he will continue to hold for the time being. Other characters live in these sheds as well, but they won't be seen until Set 3. The Edward-Philip dynamic is at its core a really sweet idea, and I loved exploring it without the added shoehorning of removing Edward from the main cast. Adding in roles for Whiff, Scruff, Trevor, and the Search and Rescue gang was also a ton of fun, as they did very little (or in the former two's case, nothing at all) in the canon S21. This was the final rewrite for S21 Redux, and every idea from here on out will be entirely original.

As always, what's next:

\- _Terence & Trevor_

_\- Battle of the Buses_

_\- Rusty & The Passengers_

_\- The Celebrity_

_\- Henry's Record - _Fed up with his boasting, Henry has a go at Gordon's speed record while taking the Flying Kipper.


	8. Terence & Trevor

**TERENCE & TREVOR**

One morning, Thomas was puffing along his branch line with Annie and Clarabel when he approached section of track where the railway ran alongside the road. Suddenly, he heard a whistle and noticed a familiar face trundling along the lane with a cart of supplies in tow.

"Good morning, Trevor!" Thomas called to Trevor the Traction Engine. The humble old traction engine smiled as the tank engine puffed alongside.

"Good morning, Thomas! What are you doing today?" Thomas smiled.

"Pulling my coaches as usual."

"Hello!" Annie and Clarabel called from behind him. Trevor chuckled.

"How about you?" Thomas asked. Trevor smiled.

"I'm helping set up the Vicar's fête!" He explained. Thomas raised an eyebrow, confused.

"What's a…fête?" He asked. Trevor grinned.

"It's a party the Vicar throws every year to raise money for the children's seaside trip! There's music and food and I even get to give rides to the children!" He beamed.

"That sounds amazing, Trevor!" Thomas replied. Trevor chuckled.

"Oh yes, it's my favorite day of the year, Thomas. Must be off, so much to do!" He whistled and turned onto a side road, leaving Thomas to watch his friend leave.

* * *

Trevor is rather unique for a steam engine; instead of running on rails, he's a traction engine that runs on roads. He was going to be scrapped, but was saved by Edward and now lives in the Vicarage Orchard near Wellsworth, where he is kept busy helping maintain his new home.

"These should be ripe just in time for the fête, Trevor!" His driver, Jem Cole, remarked after inspecting one of the apples hanging from one of the Vicar's trees. Trevor grinned. He was being very useful in helping set up for the fête; he would haul carts of folding chairs, banners, and other supplies back and forth from the town, and sure enough work was progressing in the part of the Orchard where the Vicar was preparing to have the fête like clockwork. Trevor bustled in with his cart full of supplies and stopped alongside the Vicar, who was surveying volunteers put together the setup. He turned to Trevor and smiled.

"Ah, Trevor! Jem! Back already?" Jem grinned and leaned on Trevor's steering wheel.

"Trevor here's so ready to work that I had to hold him back!" Trevor smiled as the Vicar approached him.

"Well done, Trevor. Leave your cart by that tent over there and go home for the day." Trevor whistled and Jem began to drive him towards the tent. The Vicar watched them lumbering towards it and craned his neck.

"Make sure you don't hit my beehives!" He called. Trevor didn't hit the beehives, and left his cart to go and have a nice rest at the end of another long day of being a really useful traction engine.

* * *

That night, a storm came.

"Ooh!" Trevor gasped in fright as thunder and lighting crashed outside his shed. He could hear the rain pounding down on the roof of his shed. He groaned as he heard the wind howling.

"I'm glad I'm here and not out there…" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, he heard a loud "CRASH" from outside and gasped.

"Oh, no! I hope the storm doesn't damage the Vicar's fête!" He worried, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it except wait.

* * *

The following morning, Trevor gasped when Jem opened his shed door and he saw the extent of the damage the storm had wrought.

"Oh no! The fête's sure to be ruined!" He cried as he went around a fallen tree that had made its home nearby his shed.

* * *

The setup for the fête was in pieces; chairs had blown everywhere, the tents had collapsed, and the banners that had been hung between the trees flapped in the light breeze, having been cut apart by the storm. Trevor looked to the Vicar as he inspected the damage.

"Well, if we work hard, we _might _be able to fix all this up on time and not have to delay the fête…but you can't do it alone, Trevor." Trevor raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, sir?" The Vicar then walked past Trevor to return to his house to make a phone call.

"Hold on, Trevor. I'm going to call in some help."

* * *

Help soon arrived in the form of…

"Terence the Tractor! I haven't seen you in a long time!" Trevor called happily as his old friend, an orange tractor who was currently "pickiteh-pockiteh"ing towards the fête grounds. Terence grinned.

"Hey, Trevor! How are things?" He stopped alongside the traction engine. Trevor looked to the fête grounds.

"Could be better, considering the fête is in only a few days and all my hard work's been undone." He sighed. Terence smirked confidently.

"Well, don't worry; that's why I'm here! Should be fun to be at a fête again; I don't think I've been since we had to rescue Bertie after he got stuck in the mud!" Terence and Trevor laughed as the Vicar approached.

"Ah, Terence, thank you for being so willing to help us out." Terence grinned.

"Of course, sir! I'm _adaptable; _go anywhere, do anything! I might as well use it to help others out." The Vicar chuckled.

"Well, Terence, Trevor, which one of you wants to head back into town to collect new banners and bunting?" Trevor was about to speak, but Terence rolled forwards.

"I'd be happy to, sir!" The Vicar nodded and Terence began to rush off towards town, leaving Trevor behind with a confused expression on his face.

* * *

Trevor was soon hard at work chopping up one of the fallen trees with his flywheel when Terence returned with a cart full of banners. The Vicar grinned as Terence rolled to a stop.

"Thank you, Terence! To town and back in record time, too." Terence smirked and looked to his caterpillar tracks.

"I took a bit of a shortcut; that's what you can do when you have caterpillar tracks!" He boasted proudly. Trevor frowned as another branch fell off the fallen tree. He then heard the Vicar speaking to Terence.

"Can either you or Trevor please go and fetch the special cart for giving the children rides?" Terence beamed.

"I'd be happy to, sir!" Trevor saw Terence approaching him and called out.

"Um, Terence! I could go and fetch the cart, if you'd like!" Terence, however, didn't stop.

"No thank you, Trevor, I got it; I am adaptable, after all!" As Terence continued off to fetch the cart, Trevor didn't feel 'adaptable' at all; he just felt sad. His mood wasn't helped by a light rain beginning to fall.

* * *

Later, Jem had driven Trevor back to his shed to fetch two things; one of which was his poncho to keep himself from getting wet in the rain, and the other…

"In all this rain, you don't want to get stuck in the mud or on uneven terrain, so I'm equipping your spuds." He explained as he looked around underneath Trevor's smokebox before finally finding the spud tray.

"Ah-ha! Here we go!" Quickly, he took out his wrench and started bolting the small metal spikes to Trevor's wheels. Trevor looked out into the grey sky and smiled sadly.

"Maybe since I can grip difficult ground, the Vicar will think I'm useful like Terence now…" He muttered. Jem heard him and looked up from where he had been bolting on another one of Trevor's spuds.

"Something eating you, Trevor?" Trevor sighed.

"It's Terence, Jem. I get that he's trying to be helpful but it just feels like he's taking all the work and leaving none of it for me. I…_think_ I'm adaptable like he is, but I _know_ that I'm just as useful…maybe the Vicar will want to keep Terence and get rid of me…" Jem laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Trevor. Terence is nice and all, but he's a tractor; you're a traction engine, and the Vicar wants a traction engine to help run his orchard. Besides, you're just as 'adaptable' as Terence, especially with your spuds on!" Trevor smiled and looked to the final spud, which Jem had just bolted on.

"Thanks." He replied. Jem climbed back up to the steering wheel and affectionately pat Trevor's flywheel.

"You're welcome, Trevor. Now, let's back to work." Trevor whistled and set back off towards the fête grounds, now in a much better mood.

* * *

When Trevor arrived, he could see Terence approaching with the special blue cart for giving children rides. He whistled hello, and Terence looked up.

"Oh, hi Trev-WHOA!" Terence gasped as he suddenly felt his caterpillar tracks spinning in the mud. Quickly, he strained, causing his caterpillar tracks to spin for a second before he managed to escape from the mud with a loud "POP". As Terence caught his breath, now splashed with mud on the sides, Trevor nervously rolled towards him.

"Terence, I just had my spuds equipped; I can take a cartload or two if you want to take a bit of a break. You might get stuck in the mud if you're not careful." To Trevor's surprise, Terence rolled his eyes.

"No thank you, Trevor, I can manage. A little mud doesn't scare me!"

"Can someone help us with this banner?"

"Coming!" Terence called, leaving a disappointed Trevor behind. Terence approached the tall tree where some volunteers were trying to hang a banner and had just come to a stop when suddenly he heard a loud creaking noise.

"What was that?" He looked up and saw the tree swaying back and forth in the wind. One of the volunteers gasped.

"It's going to fall!" Quickly, the volunteers ran as far away from the tree as possible. Terence tried to reverse too, but only found that his caterpillar tracks spun in the mud. He strained hard to try and reverse but it was no good; he was stuck. He could see the tree waving around in the wind and winced.

"Help! Help!" He cried. Trevor could see that Terence was in trouble and gasped.

"Oh no, he must be stuck! Quickly, Jem, we need to get chains!" Jem hopped down and quickly sprinted to a nearby tent where some chains were coiled up.

"Right-o!" Once Jem had gotten the chains, Trevor rolled towards Terence, and Jem and Farmer Finney wasted no time in chaining the two together. Terence groaned as he heard the tree starting to creak even louder.

"Please, hurry! It might fall on me!" He called. Finally, everything was ready, and Trevor began to reverse as fast as he could. However, Terence was stuck fast, and Trevor's wheels spun in the mud.

"Come on…come on…" Trevor growled. Jem looked up at the tree, which was looking even closer to falling than before.

"Come on, old boy, you've got it…" Finally, red-in-the-face and puffing hard, Trevor managed to pull Terence free with a loud "POP"…just in time!

"Oh no!" Terence cried as the tree began to topple towards him. He shut his eyes, but soon opened them once he realized that the tree had fallen in front of him, not on him. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Trevor! You saved me! You're a hero!" Trevor beamed proudly as all the volunteers began to cheer for him.

* * *

As Farmer Finney looked Terence over, the tractor apologized to Trevor.

"I'm sorry that I kept taking work from you…I was so excited to be useful that I didn't think of how I would hurt your feelings." Trevor smiled.

"I know you didn't mean any harm, Terence. Now, we've got a lot of work to do before the fête, so we better get to it!" Terence grinned.

"Reading my mind!" Trevor whistled and he and Terence set out to continue preparations for the fête, working hard than ever before.

* * *

The day of the fête was beautiful and clear, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Everyone was having a wonderful time, and Trevor was enjoying giving children rides in his cart. He had just finished another ride when he stopped near Terence. The two shared a smile before the Vicar approached them.

"Trevor, Terence, you two have been essential to making sure this fête goes off without a hitch; I thank you for your hard work." Terence beamed at the traction engine.

"It's mostly Trevor, sir; he might not be as adaptable as me, but he's at least just as useful." Trevor blushed proudly. The Vicar grinned.

"Well done, Trevor. You are a really useful traction engine." Trevor smiled as the Vicar waved goodbye and walked away. He then looked to Terence and smiled.

"Thanks for the compliment." He chuckled. Terence smirked.

"Of course; you _are _really useful, not to mention you can help a silly tractor out of a jam when need be!" The two friends laughed, and continued to enjoy the fun of the Vicar's fête together.

**THE END**

* * *

The first original story of Season 21 Redux! _Terence Breaks the Ice _was a brilliant return episode for Terence, but I'm sure that we would've seen more of him were the season not so truncated. I decided to combine him with Trevor to give the traction engine his first lead since Season 3 (I believe) and to establish him in the Brenner era beyond the small roles I've used him in like _Percy & The Watermill, Dig the Halls, _and _Quiet in the Shed. _Sodor's road cast has always been charming to me, and getting to write a story that took place for the most part away from the railway with only two vehicle characters in the main cast was a blast for me. The return of the Vicar and Jem Cole was also a sort of re-focus for Trevor as a character, since in the CGI era he has thus far only generically appeared around farms. While this episode is not directly connected to any other one in Season 21, some of these original stories will be, such as the next one, _Battle of the Buses, _which will be a sequel to _Unscheduled Stops._

As always, what's next:

\- _Battle of the Buses_

_\- Rusty & The Passengers_

_\- The Celebrity_

_\- Henry's Record_

_\- Hugo Does the Washing - _Hugo longs to travel down one of the branch lines, but ends up getting his wish when he sucks a lady's washing into his propeller.


	9. Battle of the Buses

**BATTLE OF THE BUSES**

Bertie the Bus had been in the garage for a while. He had blown a gasket while racing Thomas and needed repairs, but was starting to get impatient with sitting around all day.

"How much longer is this going to take? I need to get going again; my passengers need me!" He asked the workmen repairing him. One of them shrugged before Bertie groaned. He suddenly heard a familiar bell and saw a double-decker bus smugly saunter into the garage.

"Hey, Bulgy." He greeted dully. Bulgy the Double-Decker Bus smirked.

"Evening, Bertie. Another fine day of running _your_ route under my bumper, and one day closer to the railways being _driven out _for good!" Bertie looked like he wanted to hide out of embarrassment.

"Look, Bulgy, I know you're 'anti-rail' and everything-"

"And proud of it! Oy, Thomas! ENGINES WON'T TREAD ON THE BACKS OF US BUSES ANYMORE! THE ROADS WILL SOON BE FREED!" Bulgy bellowed out of the garage door to a passing Thomas, who simply rolled his eyes and continued on. Bertie groaned.

"Bulgy, I have _friends _on the railway! Can you please at least _try _to be nice to them until I get back?" Bulgy snorted.

"I won't ever understand why you want to be friends with the enemy…" He grumbled and headed away to his spot. Bertie looked down at the workmen and winced.

"I'd really like to get back to work soon…" He muttered.

* * *

Finally, one morning, Bertie was fixed, and he happily honked his horn as he left the garage as good as new.

"Thanks, guys!" He called to the workmen as he sped off towards the first stop on his route.

* * *

When he arrived at Dryaw station, he was happy to see Thomas sitting in the platform with Annie and Clarabel…but he _wasn't _happy with who he saw arguing with him in the car park.

"Bulgy, I need my passengers! Stop being ridiculous!" Thomas snapped. Bulgy sat in the car park with a smug smirk on his face.

"No way, Thomas! I'm taking a stand! These passengers will finally be able to take the _proper _form of transport as opposed to being _forced _to withstand the _horrors_ of the _railway_!" One of Bulgy's passengers knocked on the inside of one of his windows.

"Can we get off now please? I'm going to miss my train!" Bertie cringed in embarrassment as he approached the station.

"Alright, that's enough, Bulgy; give Thomas his passengers or I'll talk to the Fat Controller about asking around for who needs a henhouse." Bulgy spluttered before rolling his eyes and letting his passengers off.

"Fine." He muttered. Thomas smiled at his old friend's return.

"Welcome back, Bertie! How was the garage?" Bertie grinned.

"Good, Thomas, but all the same I'm happy to b-"

"THIS ISN'T THE LAST YOU'LL HEAR OF ME! ONE DAY, THE RAILWAYS WILL NO LONGER OPPRESS THE ROADS AND THEY SHALL HAVE THE DOMINANCE OVER THE ISLAND THEY DESERVE! FREE THE ROADS! FREE THE ROADS FROM RAILWAY TYRANNY!" Bulgy shouted to no one in particular in the car park. Bertie looked as if he wanted to drive straight into a lake. Thomas winced.

"Bertie, do you mind if we talk later? Without…_him_ around?" Bertie chuckled nervously.

"Sure thing, Thomas." The guard's whistle blew and Thomas left the station with his passengers. Bertie looked out to the open road, but was surprised to see Bulgy still sitting in the car park.

"You can go back to the garage now, Bulgy; I can take over the route from here." The larger bus snorted.

"The Dispatcher hasn't quite figured out my new route yet since, up until recently, I was a mobile vegetable stand. We're running the route together for the time being; with two buses, _freeing the roads _will be _twice _as easy!" Bertie rolled his eyes.

"Please don't say that."

* * *

Bertie and Bulgy were soon hard at work, driving up and down the roads alongside Thomas' Branch Line taking passengers both to their homes and to the trains. Bertie was happy to be working again, but when he and Bulgy both had stops on opposite sides of the road towards the middle of the afternoon, he could see that Bulgy wasn't happy at all.

"Is something wrong, Bulgy?" He asked as some of his passengers got off. Bulgy harrumphed indignantly.

"You don't seem to have a lot of passengers compared to the _railways_." He growled. Bertie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I suppose it's a quiet day, Bulgy." The double-decker bus snorted.

"When I was running this route by myself, I had twice that amount of passengers daily! I really kept the railways on their toes…it seems that you aren't as able to compete. It's a shame that _I'm _the one being rerouted if you keep things running like _this._" Bertie was fuming!  
"Of course I'm not competing; the railways and roads help each other! We give them passengers, they give _us _passengers! I have _plenty _of passengers without needing to make a fool of myself like you do!" Bulgy smirked.

"Alright, then. If you think you have so many passengers, prove it. I have a wager for you, Bertie; tomorrow, whichever one of us pulls more passengers gets to stay on this route. The other has to get _rerouted._" Bertie glared at his larger competitor.

"Alright, you're on. Hope you enjoy your new route!" Bertie honked and drove away. Now, Bertie liked competition, but, because he was so angry at Bulgy, he didn't stop to think about who he was competing with.

"This route is as good as mine…" Bulgy was never one to play fair, and he had begun to think of a very sneaky plan.

* * *

The following day, Bertie and Bulgy were preparing to start work on their route. Bertie was very ready to go, and smirked at Bulgy.

"Alright, Bulgy. I start at Knapford, you start at Ffarquhar. Whoever has more passengers by the end of the day is the winner." Bulgy smirked right back.

"Of course; those are the rules!" He rang his bell and started off before Bertie. He chuckled maliciously under his breath.

"Oh, I'm not going to have _more _passengers; I'll have _all _the passengers…" His chuckling turned to deep evil laughter as Bulgy sped away down his route, Bertie still in the garage none the wiser.

* * *

As Bulgy made his way down the bus route, instead of going right to Ffarquhar like he was supposed to, Bulgy stopped at all the stops Bertie was supposed to have gotten to first.

"The bus is early today!" A man remarked as Bulgy approached a stop. The double-decker bus grinned.

"Come aboard! I've plenty of room, and I'm much more reliable than that puny little Bertie!" The passengers climbed aboard and Bulgy started off again with a wide smirk on his face. He stopped at all of Bertie's stops and picked up all his passengers and was soon filled to the brim. He rolled into Dryaw and rang his bell triumphantly as more passengers got onboard from a confused Thomas' train.

"Free the roads!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, causing Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel to wince from the loud noise. Once his passengers had all gotten aboard, Bulgy looked to Thomas and smirked.

"You see this, Thomas? This is what a real _clever _bus looks like! After today when I get that rail sympathizer, _Bertie, _out of the picture, I'm coming for your rails next! YAH BOOH SNUBS! THE REVOLUTION IS FINALLY HERE!" Bulgy cackled as he drove away. However, instead of inspiring fear in Thomas like he hoped, the tank engine was simply confused.

"Do you have any idea what he was talking about?" He asked Annie and Clarabel.

"No idea."

"Not a clue."

* * *

Bulgy soon arrived at Ffarquhar, where the passengers he was supposed to pick up at the beginning of the day were still waiting.

"Where have you been? You're over an hour late!" One of them demanded angrily as Bulgy pulled into the car park. The bus chuckled nervously.

"Erm…traffic jam?" The passengers Bulgy had disembarked while his new, angrier ones climbed aboard. Once Bulgy was loaded up again, he started off, grumbling.

"I miss the hens; at least they didn't complain…" A smirk slowly crept onto his face.

"Ah, what do I care? I beat Bertie, and this route's mine! HAHAHA!"

* * *

Bertie had started off on his route, but he was surprised to find that none of his usual passengers were at his stops.

"Huh? Where are all my passengers? There's usually tons here by now!" He remarked as he parked at yet another empty stop to see if anyone was coming. Suddenly, he heard a bell and saw Bulgy triumphantly waltzing down the lane with a smarmy smirk on his face.

"Afternoon, Bertie!" He called as he passed by, and Bertie got a view of his windows. He gasped as he saw what was inside.

"Look at all those passengers!" He gulped when he saw that the double-decker bus seemed to be packed to the brim. Suddenly, he realized what Bulgy had done and frowned.

"Hey, wait a minute! Bulgy! You took _my _passengers!? You can't do that! That's _cheating!_" Bulgy cackled.

"We agreed on 'the most passengers'; you never said they had to be your own! Enjoy being _rerouted, _Bertie! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Bulgy! Bulgy! COME BACK!" Bulgy didn't come back, leaving Bertie sitting at the bus stop with no passengers at all. Bertie fumed for a moment before his anger turned to sadness and he stared down at the road.

"Great. I suppose I'm going to be rerouted now…I'm never going to see any of my friends again…" He sighed and drove onwards to the next stop, feeling quite down in the dumps.

* * *

Bertie was still feeling rather miserable as he rolled into Dryaw. Thomas was taking another branch line train and saw that his friend was upset. He raised an eyebrow.

"Bertie? Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. Bertie sighed.

"No, Thomas, I'm not. Bulgy's taken all my passengers, and, because I was silly enough to agree to that bet with him, I'm going to get assigned to another route and Bulgy's going to keep this one." Annie and Clarabel gasped in horror.

"No!"

"Not _more_ Bulgy! Bertie, you have to do something!" Bertie sighed.

"I wish I could, but he has all my passengers! There's nothing I _can _do…" Thomas thought for a moment before an idea flew into his funnel. A smile spread across his face.

"But there _is _something _I _can do!" Bertie raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Thomas winked and looked back to his passengers.

"Excuse me, everyone! This train won't be traveling any farther! For the remainder of the journey, you will get to ride on this smart red bus right here!" The passengers were incredibly confused. One raised his hand. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"No, you don't have to buy new tickets." The passenger slowly put his hand down and they all began to get off of Annie and Clarabel and board Bertie. The bus seemed just as baffled as the passengers.

"Why are you giving up your passengers for me?" He asked. Thomas just continued to smile.

"You're my friend, Bertie. Besides, you give me passengers all the time; it's time that I return the favor!" Bertie's face broke out into a grin.

"Thanks, Thomas!" The bus honked his horn and left the station with at least a few passengers, leaving his railway friend smiling.

* * *

As Bertie continued to make his way along the road, he encountered more engines who were waiting to give him their passengers.

"Here you go, Bertie!" Toby greeted as the bus stopped at McColl Farm.

"Plenty of passengers for you!" Henrietta added. Bertie grinned as even more people got aboard and he continued to make his way down the branch line. He soon arrived at Maithwaite, where Percy was waiting with even more passengers.

"Good luck, Bertie! Show that Bulgy who's boss!" Percy called as the bus left the station with even more passengers aboard. Bertie was filled to the brim, and he was feeling happier than he had all day.

* * *

Bulgy was waiting in the car park at Ffarquhar surrounded by his passengers with a smug expression on his face.

"Another day, another step closer to the buses being on top! Now that that wimp Bertie's out of the way, I can start making some changes around here! I want a petrol station right there…ooh! A pile of spare tires right there! The remains of the railway will be right in the middle, where I can see 'em! HAHAHA!" One of the passengers looked to another, confused.

"Who is he talking to?" She whispered. The other passenger shrugged. Suddenly, a familiar horn sounded and Bulgy could see Bertie coming down the lane.

"Ah, Bertie! Welcome to my victory party! We can discuss where your new route will b-wuh-huh-WHAT?" Bulgy spluttered as Bertie rolled to a stop and passengers flooded out of his door. Soon enough, there were enough people to fill the entire car park…most of whom had been brought by Bertie! Bulgy was stunned as Bertie gave him a smug smirk.

"Afternoon, Bulgy. Oh, look at all the passengers I've brought! What a shame, you'll have to be rerouted! So sad…" Bertie couldn't help but enjoy twisting the knife. Bulgy was speechless.

"How? HOW DID YOU BEAT ME? I _CHEATED _AND YOU STILL WON!" He blustered, red in the face with rage. Bertie heard a whistle and grinned as Thomas arrived in the station with Annie and Clarabel.

"I know you're 'anti-rail' and everything, Bulgy, but the railways _do _have their uses!" He shared a wink with the tank engine as Bulgy simply stared at them, flabbergasted.

* * *

Bulgy lost the bet, and thus was rerouted. He's never changed his ways, and is just as 'anti-rail' as ever.

"FREE THE ROADS! FREE THE ROADS FROM RAILWAY TYRANNY!" Bulgy bellowed as he sped into Arlesburgh West to drop off Duck's passengers. The Great Western engine simply gave an aside glance.

"Hello again, Bulgy." He greeted, completely deadpan.

* * *

Bertie was kept on his route beside Thomas' Branch Line. He loves his job, his friends, and wouldn't live life any other way.

"Hey, Thomas! Fancy a race?" Bertie smirked as he sped alongside Thomas on his way down the branch line. The tank engine smirked back.

"You know I do!" Thomas and Bertie took off to start their race, side by side, as it always would be.

**THE END**

* * *

Writing Bulgy is such a blast and I really look forward to having him appear more. As one may be able to tell, his characterization here is very much influenced by how Michael White wrote him in Season 23's _Free the Roads, _a spectacular episode if you haven't seen it. A bit of an abnormal episode this season, this is the long awaited sequel to _Unscheduled Stops, _an episode with several plot threads (predominantly Bulgy showing up out of nowhere) that weren't resolved as neatly as they could've been. Bulgy's new route is the Little Western, which is where he will pop up as a recurring character from now on and get to bounce off his old enemies, Duck and Oliver. Getting to focus on Bertie in a way that _isn't _about him racing Thomas was a lot of fun, but the two still got to show their friendship through how Bertie won the titular 'Battle of the Buses'. This might be my favorite episode of Season 21 Redux thus far, but I'm curious to know what all of yours are! Leave a review to give me your thoughts on everything thus far!

What's next:

\- _Rusty & The Passengers_

\- _The Celebrity_

\- _Henry's Record_

\- _Hugo Does the Washing_

\- _Ring Around the Rosie - _A man leaves a tiny box behind on the Vicarstown station platform, and Rosie finds it difficult to balance her jobs with tracking him down to return it.


	10. Rusty & The Passengers

**RUSTY & THE PASSENGERS**

The narrow gauge railway that runs through the hills of Sodor travels to slate quarries and mines, and the engines take trucks full of goods from the farms to markets and other places they need to go. However, most of the narrow gauge railway's traffic is passengers. Some of the engines feel great pride about their passengers.

"I tell you, passengers are important and they deserve the utmost comfort! They need proper _bogie _coaches, not these cattle trucks!" Sir Handel boasted to a rather non-plussed Gordon at Crovan's Gate, who just rolled his eyes. Other engines aren't as fond of passengers, and will grumble and complain bitterly about it.

"Morning, Duncan!" Sir Handel called to Duncan, who was grumbling into the platform with some coaches. He stopped and let his passengers off, giving them dirty looks as they passed.

"Silly passengers…they get a fancy journey and _ice cream _and _I'm _nae even _polished!_" He muttered. However, there is one engine on the narrow gauge railway who doesn't pull passengers at all, and that's Rusty, the only diesel on the railway.

"Morning, all!" He called as he rolled through Crovan's Gate with his train consisting of a crane, a few trucks, and a guard's van. Rusty's job is to maintain the line, and he pulls a train called the Permanent Way. He is very dedicated to his job, and will work tirelessly to make sure every area of the line is nice and smooth so the other engines can give their passengers a pleasant journey.

* * *

Later that morning, Sir Handel and Duncan were resting in the sheds.

"Duncan, I don't see why you're so against passengers! They keep our railway running, and they're much better than having to touch those dirty slate trucks at the quarry!" The former told the latter. Duncan rolled his eyes.

"Passengers always complain! I cannae turn my wheels without some passenger saying that I was riding too rough!" Sir Handel snorted.

"Well, maybe if you didn't _rock and roll _all over the place your passengers would like you better! _Mine _like me just fine!" He smirked. Suddenly, a familiar two-toned horn blasted and Rusty rolled into the yard with the Permanent Way.

"Is that why you and the coaches are constantly complaining about each other, Sir Handel?" He teased. Duncan snickered, but Sir Handel was fuming.

"What do _you _know about passengers, Rusty? You're just a silly maintenance diesel! The Thin Controller probably keeps you on permanent way trains to keep you away from them, seeing as you'd just bump them about like trucks!" Rusty frowned.

"I've pulled passengers before, Sir Handel, and I've done just fine!" Sir Handel took no notice.

"I wouldn't want you anywhere near _my _passengers; you'd probably give them a bumpier ride than Duncan over here! Right, Duncan?" Duncan snorted and rolled his eyes, not responding. Rusty didn't respond either, and simply headed onwards to put his trucks away. Sir Handel glared at the little diesel as he disappeared into the distance.

* * *

Later, Sir Handel was still resting in the shed when the Thin Controller came to see him.

"Sir Handel, Skarloey is ill so I need you to take his passenger train." Sir Handel grinned.

"Is it with the bogie coaches, sir?" The Thin Controller gestured his arm to the platform, where the decidedly-not-bogie coaches, Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima, and Beatrice, were waiting. Agnes glared at Sir Handel from behind her glasses, and Sir Handel glared right back before breaking their staring contest and groaning.

"I don't want to take out the cattle trucks! Can't someone else do it?" The Thin Controller crossed his arms.

"Really useful engines don't argue." Sir Handel rolled his eyes and grumbled as he left the sheds.

"Really useful engines don't pull _cattle trucks_…" He muttered.

"I heard that, Sir Handel!" Sir Handel immediately sped up to escape the Thin Controller's wrath.

* * *

Sir Handel was soon puffing down the line with the coaches, still grumbling furiously to himself.

"Silly cattle trucks…silly Thin Controller…" The coaches were not in a particularly happy mood either, as they felt Sir Handel bumping them to take out his anger.

"Oh! That Sir Handel is getting on my last nerve…we need to teach him a lesson!" Agnes whispered to the other coaches.

"Quite right!" Ruth replied.

"But what?" Lucy asked.

"WHAT?" Jemima screeched. As the coaches plotted, Beatrice the Guard's Van noticed something passing them on the nearby line.

"Um, girls? I think we just passed a red signal." She called. Agnes rolled her eyes.

"What are you going on about, Beatrice?" Farther away now, Beatrice could see that sure enough, the signal was red.

"I know we did! We passed a red signal! We need to stop!" Agnes looked back to Sir Handel.

"Didn't you hear her? Brake right now!" She commanded, but Sir Handel was too busy grumbling to notice.

"I should be on important trains! Not being forced to deal with these heaps of scr-WHOA!" Sir Handel gasped as he felt his wheels hit the points; they were set against him! He came off the rails with a dull bump, and groaned as he rolled into the ballast. Luckily, Sir Handel hadn't been going very fast, but he and his passengers were stranded.

"Ouch…" He groaned. Agnes snorted.

"Serves you right!" She taunted, causing Sir Handel to grit his teeth.

* * *

Rheneas took Sir Handel's passengers onward once Rusty had arrived with a crane to put him back on the rails. The Thin Controller was not pleased at all.

"Sir Handel, how many times do I have to tell you that you _have _to pull normal coaches? Knocking yourself off the rails is no way to get out of work!" Sir Handel spluttered as Rheneas passed with the coaches.

"It's not my fault! Those cattle trucks pushed me!"

"No, we didn't!" Agnes snapped as she passed. The Thin Controller raised an eyebrow as Sir Handel sheepishly grinned.

"Heh-heh." The Thin Controller then turned to Rusty.

"Rusty, while Sir Handel is gone, I want you to take his passenger trains." Both engines were shocked.

"What!? _Rusty!?_" Sir Handel spluttered furiously. Rusty, on the other hand, looked rather nervous.

"Me, sir?" The Thin Controller smiled.

"I know you don't have much experience with passengers, Rusty, and this will be good to get you more comfortable in case another engines derails and you need to fill in again." Rusty was unsure, but he didn't want to let the Thin Controller down.

"Alright. If you say so, sir." He smiled nervously. Sir Handel was not happy at all.

"Sir, Rusty knows nothing about passengers! He'll bump them and come off the rails the moment he leaves the station!" The Thin Controller crossed his arms and gave Sir Handel a glare.

"Oh, so nothing will change then?" Sir Handel's face turned red and he stared down at the rails.

* * *

Rusty dropped Sir Handel off at the Steamworks and headed over to Crovan's Gate to take his first passenger train. He was rather anxious, and as a result wasn't watching where he was going as well as he should've been.

"What if I _do _bump the coaches? I don't _want _to, but I don't know how to pull coaches! I-" Suddenly, Rusty banged into Agnes, who was waiting at the platform with the other coaches. They all groaned from the bump.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going!" Lucy snapped.

"Are you trying to knock our buffers off?" Ruth added. Rusty blushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry! So sorry! I'm a little nervous and I mustn't have been looking beh-"

"Pah! They get rid of one rough engine just to send us another! He won't last five minutes!" Agnes growled. Rusty was feeling more anxious than ever. However, he heard a voice coming from the back of the train as his passengers began to board the coaches.

"Don't worry, Rusty; taking passengers is much easier than it seems. You just have to be calm and careful to give them a smooth journey! You can do it!" Beatrice called from the back of the train. Rusty looked out to the line ahead and took a deep breath to steady his nerves before cracking a small smile.

"Thanks, Beatrice." Beatrice beamed, causing Agnes to roll her eyes. The guard blew her whistle and Rusty slowly set off, reciting his mantra under his breath.

"Calm and careful, calm and careful…" He muttered as he rolled calmly and carefully away.

* * *

Rusty made his way down the line with his train, stopping at every station to let passengers on and off. He was nervous at first, but soon found that he was enjoying himself. The passengers were enjoying themselves too.

"Such a smooth ride from this little diesel! Makes you notice how smooth the rails are too!" A man said loudly from inside Agnes. Rusty grinned; even the coaches couldn't help but like him!

"For an engine who doesn't know how to handle coaches, this engine _certainly _knows how to handle coaches!" Jemima said loudly, not realizing the volume at which she was talking before Beatrice hastily shushed her.

"Hush, Jemima! You'll offend him!" Rusty chuckled and rolled his eyes before stopping at Glennock without bumping a single one of the coaches.

"He's a natural!" Agnes whispered to Ruth. For the next few days, Rusty kept the passenger services running as well as he did the permanent way, and the passengers soon began to look forward to journeys with him. One evening, Rusty returned to Crovan's Gate to find the Thin Controller waiting on the platform.

"Rusty, your work with the passengers has been good; so good, in fact, that I've had requests to keep you on these services a while longer! Do you mind waiting a few more days to return the permanent way?" Rusty beamed from buffer to buffer!

"Thank you, sir! I'd be happy to!" He felt very proud.

* * *

Someone else, however, was not feeling very proud at all; Sir Handel was furious!  
"The _permanent way!? _Absolutely not!" He fumed in the sheds, having returned from the Steamworks earlier that day. The Thin Controller frowned.

"Well, Sir Handel, unless you want to line to get bumpy and for it to be _your _fault, I suggest that you take your permanent way trains in stride." The little engine promptly let off steam, causing the Thin Controller and his crew to step back to avoid getting wet.

"I won't, so there! That's Rusty's job!" He snapped from within the cloud of steam. The Thin Controller fanned the steam aside to get a good look at the pouting Sir Handel and gave him a glare.

"Do you want me to send you to work at the quarry all summer again?" As the steam cleared, the Thin Controller could see on Sir Handel's face that he didn't want that.

"…no, sir." With a blast of his whistle, Sir Handel grumbled slowly away, leaving the Thin Controller to exasperatedly sigh before returning to his office.

* * *

Sir Handel was soon out and about on the permanent way. He hated every minute of the slow job, and almost immediately began to complain about it.

"This is taking _forever! _Can't we just move on from this section? I'm melting out here!" He whined. One of the workmen raised an eyebrow.

"We've only been here for three minutes, Sir Handel." Sir Handel groaned loudly before he heard a horn and saw Rusty entering the section with his coaches.

"Hey, Sir Handel! Welcome back!" Sir Handel grit his teeth furiously as he took the permanent way train onto the loop to allow Rusty to pass with the coaches. As Sir Handel watched the coaches pass, he saw a little boy pointing out of one of Jemima's windows.

"Look, daddy! There's that rough engine who used to pull this train!"

"That's right, son. The journeys have been smooth recently; probably because he's not our engine!" Sir Handel's face turned red with rage. Rusty couldn't see that he was angry, and simply continued onwards.

"There's a few bumps back there you missed, Sir Handel!" He called. Sir Handel growled.

"'There's a few bumps back there you missed, Sir Handel! I'm Rusty and I'm _sooooo _perfect and all of _your _passengers_ looooove_ me!' Pah!" He whistled and rolled out of the loop to keep working, still grumbling furiously to himself.

* * *

He was still in a foul mood that evening.

"It's not fair! It's not FAIR!" He whined dramatically as he backed into the sheds. A nearby Peter Sam raised an eyebrow.

"What isn't fair, Sir Handel?"

"It's that _Rusty, _Peter Sam! I don't know _how _he does it, but that grubby little maintenance diesel somehow has all of my passengers under his buffer! It's humiliating to have to sit in the loop while he passes with _my _train!" He harrumphed loudly. Peter Sam chuckled.

"Well, Sir Handel, I think Rusty just has a way with passengers that you don't!" Sir Handel raised an eyebrow.

"And what way would that be?" Suddenly, Sir Handel heard a horn and saw Rusty reversing his way toward the sheds. Rusty smiled as he stopped alongside the two engines.

"Evening! Good work with the permanent way today, Sir Handel! There were a few bumps near Cros-ny-Cuirn, but I'm sure you'll get to that tomorrow!"

"Of course, Rusty." Sir Handel hissed through his teeth. However, he _wasn't _going to stop at Cros-ny-Cuirn the following day; he had a plan of his own.

"Hehehe…we'll see just what that 'way' of yours is, Rusty…"

* * *

The following day, Rusty headed out with the coaches again. He hummed cheerfully to himself as he made his way along the line, not noticing that, just out of sight, Sir Handel was following behind him with the permanent way. When he stopped at a station, Sir Handel rolled onto a siding to watch him.

"What's your secret, Rusty…" He muttered. However, Rusty simply let his passengers off, gave a cheerful toot of his horn and continued onwards. Sir Handel narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm…" He continued to follow Rusty throughout the day, but Rusty just didn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary.

"What's your secret, Rusty?" Sir Handel muttered to himself as he peered through some bushes at the end of the siding to watch Rusty pass. At the end of the day, Sir Handel found that his investigation had borne no fruit, and headed back to the sheds to sulk.

* * *

Rusty was returning to the sheds at the end of a busy day. He backed into his spot before taking a deep breath and giving a relaxed sigh.

"Rusty!" He jumped in surprise when he noticed that a furious-looking Sir Handel was staring him in the eyes.

"Oh, hi, Sir Handel! Didn't, um, see you there." Sir Handel growled.

"How do you do it?" Rusty was confused.

"How do I do what?"

"Make all the passengers like you! Make _me _look like I'm bad at my job! KEEP AGNES FROM BUMPING YOU OFF THE RAILS! HOW DO YOU DO IT? _HOW?_" He begged, getting louder and looking more insane the more questions he asked. Rusty looked rather taken aback, but managed to regain his composure.

"Well, Sir Handel, I guess I pull my coaches calmly and carefully and…don't take out my grudges on my trains?" He suggested. Sir Handel's eyes narrowed.

"Really? How did you get the _cattle trucks_ to like you? Agnes has had it out for me since I got here!" Rusty chuckled at Sir Handel's suspicion.

"They didn't like me at first either, Sir Handel. I just ignored them though, and just did my job in the best way I could. Just because the coaches don't like you doesn't mean you have to be rude back…not calling them 'cattle trucks' would probably help too." Sir Handel looked utterly dumbfounded.

"Huh." Rusty smiled.

"You'll be back on passengers tomorrow; try it! I promise it'll make a difference!" Sir Handel wasn't so sure.

* * *

The following day, Sir Handel backed into the platform and onto the coaches. Agnes glared intensely at him.  
"Well, well, well…welcome back, _Sir Handel_." Sir Handel gulped, before looking across the yard to the sheds. Rusty, still sitting inside, grinned at him. He managed to force a smile.

"Good morning, caaa-oaches. Coaches! I said coaches!" He quickly stuttered. Agnes raised an eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm." Sir Handel chuckled nervously.

"I'm going to give you all a smooth journey today! Just…don't cause any trouble!" Agnes snarled again.

"We won't if you don't give us a reason to…" Sir Handel chuckled nervously. The guard's whistle blew and Sir Handel started out of the station.

"Calm and careful…calm and careful…" He muttered to himself. Sure enough, Sir Handel pulled out of the station calmly and carefully without incident. Rusty grinned as he watched Sir Handel disappear into the distance; he wasn't sure whether or not his lesson would stick, but was glad that Sir Handel was at least trying. Sir Handel and Rusty think pulling passengers well is a great source of pride, and they both agree that there's no better feeling than a job well done.

**THE END**

* * *

The narrow gauge engines are infamously neglected in the Brenner era, in particular Sir Handel and Rusty, so I was very happy to get to write a story about them I think would've worked in the canon series. I am very much in support of bringing in Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima, and Beatrice at the very least for the coaches to give the narrow gauge railway a stronger female presence, as strong personalities amongst them like Agnes and Beatrice could provide some fun stories. Sir Handel, as I've previously mentioned, is one of my favorite characters and I love how over-the-top and hammy the way I write him has become; gives him a bit of an edge over the more subdued Duncan. Rusty is another one of my favorites and he was a blast to write here too, as his friendly personality bounced well off of not only Sir Handel, but also the judgmental coaches. I really hope the team on the show does something with the narrow gauge engines soon, because they are neglected to a ridiculous degree.

As always, what's next:

\- _The Celebrity_

_\- Henry's Record_

_\- Hugo Does the Washing_

_\- Ring Around the Rosie_

_\- A Captive Audience - _Charlie starts testing out his jokes on the trucks instead of doing his actual work.


	11. The Celebrity

**THE CELEBRITY**

One autumn evening, a big, green engine raced across the Vicarstown Bridge onto the Island of Sodor. His pistons pumped and his wheels pounded the rails as he raced along with his heavy train of coaches behind him. He smirked to himself as he roared past a signalbox.

"Right on schedule!" He promptly slid his smoke deflectors forward with a loud "CLINK" and sped up, rocketing towards Vicarstown station.

* * *

Rosie was shunting some coaches into the platform when she heard a whistle and saw Thomas arriving at Vicarstown station with Annie and Clarabel. She whistled back with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Thomas!" Thomas grinned.

"Hello, Rosie!" Before Rosie could say anything else however, a loud whistle blasted in the distance. Thomas gasped.

"It can't be!" Rosie, also recognizing the whistle, gasped as well.

"That sounds like…" Suddenly, the enormous green engine with two tenders pulled into the station. As he slowed down, he gently braked into the platform without so much as even bumping the coaches. People could see him approaching and gasped, and some even got out their cameras to take pictures of him. The engine winked at Clarabel as he passed her, causing her to sigh loudly. Thomas and Rosie were amazed as the engine finally stopped.

"…the _Flying Scotsman!_" Flying Scotsman grinned as he took a deep breath of the Sudrian air.

"Ah, it's good to be back." Suddenly, the Fat Controller approached him on the platform.

"Flying Scotsman! Thank you for agreeing to take Gordon's express while he's being repaired!" Flying Scotsman smirked.

"Of course, sir; what kind of brother would I be if I didn't help out my little brother out when he needed it? Besides, as much as I love pulling my railtours, it'll be good to get some _real_ work done for a change!" He and the Fat Controller shared a laugh.

* * *

That night at Tidmouth Sheds, the engines were starstruck to see Flying Scotsman roll onto the turntable so he could back into Gordon's berth. Thomas and Percy were particularly stunned by Flying Scotsman's presence, and chattered excitedly to one another.

"I can't believe the _Flying Scotsman_ is staying _here_!" Percy whispered excitedly.

"Do you think he'll tell the story about him breaking his speed record?" Thomas gushed back. James snorted.

"Do you think that the famous Flying Scotsman will want to chat with silly little tank engines like you?" He hissed. Edward chuckled.

"Settle down, you three. Don't bombard the poor engine with questions; Flying Scotsman may be a celebrity, but I'm sure he wants to be treated like a normal engine like the rest of us." Flying Scotsman had just backed into Gordon's berth and smiled at the other engines.

"Evening, everyone! I'm very excited to get started on the express tomorrow! Do any of you have pointers? I would ask Gordon but he's not here, is he?" He chuckled. Edward looked to Henry, who seemed to be avoiding Scotsman's gaze. Edward cleared his throat and Henry chuckled nervously.

"I've taken the express before, Flying Scotsman. Make sure you get help up Gordon's Hill; the coaches are heavy." He forced out quickly. Flying Scotsman smirked.

"_Gordon's_ Hill…that brother of mine!" He laughed.

* * *

The following morning, Flying Scotsman rolled into Knapford to collect his first express. As he sizzled contentedly in the platform, the passengers gawking at a famous engine at the front of their train, he heard a shrill horn and an excited voice approaching him.

"Coo-ee! Hi, Flying Scotsman! Do you remember me?" Flying Scotsman was rather startled when he jerked forwards from having the express coaches bumped into him. Philip the Diesel Boxcab raced alongside as fast as he could with an enormous grin on his face, and the famous engine chuckled.

"Of course I remember _you, _Philip; How've you been since the Great Railway Show?" Philip grinned.

"Oh, I've been great! Just shunting here and there; nothing as important as what _you've _been doing, I'm sure!" Flying Scotsman smiled warmly.

"I wouldn't say that; all work is important, Philip; without shunting, what would get done on a railway?" As the boxcab beamed, Flying Scotsman heard the guard blow his whistle.

"Oh, I must be off; we'll catch up later, Philip!" As the famous engine began to roll out of the station, Philip watched him leave.

"Oh, okay. See you soon!" He rolled away to continue his shunting as Flying Scotsman thundered towards the main line with the express.

* * *

Flying Scotsman was soon enough rocketing along the line, loving the wind blowing past his smokebox. As he sped along, he saw some enthusiasts standing alongside the line, holding their cameras.

"Flying Scotsman! Can we get a picture?" Flying Scotsman grinned and began to slow down.

"Who am I to disappoint?" He gradually began to slow down as he approached the enthusiasts, eventually coming to a slow enough pace for the enthusiasts to take their pictures as he rolled past. The famous engine grinned at the flashing cameras before speeding up again.

"I'll make up the time so you won't be delayed!" He called back to his passengers. As Flying Scotsman sped along, he finally rounded the bend and saw Wellsworth station approaching.

"Ah, Wellsworth! My first stop!" He whistled as he entered the station and gently braked to a halt in the platform. As his passengers disembarked and more went aboard, he took a deep breath.

"Now for a bit of a rest…" He shut his eyes contentedly but was startled when he heard nearby hyperventilating.

"Huh?" He opened his eyes to see a green diesel shunter grinning at him with a line of stone trucks from the other side of the station.

"Y-y-you're the _Flying Scotsman!_" The diesel gushed. Flying Scotsman chuckled, although he was clearly tired.

"I am, yes."

"I'm Paxton! I'm a huge fan!" The famous engine yawned.

"Nice to meet you, Paxton." Paxton beamed.

"I know you've gone one hundred miles per hour before, but have you ever gone faster?" He asked. Flying Scotsman wanted to rest, but he didn't want to let one of his fans down, so he continued to speak to Paxton.

"Well, I've definitely pushed higher than one hundred before…" He was so busy speaking to Paxton that he didn't hear the guard's whistle, and as a result continued to sit in the platform.

"What was filming that movie like?" Flying Scotsman chuckled nervously.

"Which one? Movies can be-"

"What's the holdup? We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago!" A grumpy passenger shouted out of a window. The famous engine looked at a clock and gasped.

"Oh no! Sorry, Paxton, we'll have to speak later; I'm running late!" He whistled and rocketed out of the station as fast as he could. Paxton blinked in surprise as Flying Scotsman's train disappeared.

"Oh…bye!"

* * *

Flying Scotsman tried to make up the lost time, but things just kept getting in the way.

"Flying Scotsman! Over here! Picture please!" He looked to the side of the line and saw a group of enthusiasts, once again armed with their cameras. He grimaced nervously as he looked back at the express, but slowed down nonetheless. As the enthusiasts' cameras flashed, passengers began to open their windows.

"We're late enough already!"  
"Hurry up!"

"Come on, I don't have time for this!" The famous engine groaned as he finally passed the enthusiasts and sped up again.

"I hope I can make up the time…" He muttered.

* * *

Unfortunately, he couldn't, and he arrived at Vicarstown station rather late. The passengers were rather cross.

"You're supposed to be fast! Why on earth are we _ten minutes _late?" The grumpy passenger who had marched up to the front of the train barked. Flying Scotsman winced, but was thankful when he saw the Fat Controller approaching.

"Easy, Jeremiah. Disciplining the engines is _my _job, you know." The grumpy man stomped away to work, leaving the Fat Controller to look at the Flying Scotsman. He crossed his arms, and the famous engine could see he was clearly not pleased.

"Sorry I was late, sir." He said quietly. The Fat Controller cleared his throat.

"I understand that you're used to appealing to enthusiasts, Flying Scotsman, but there is no showboating on my railway. I trust you know that being on time is more important than having your picture taken?" Flying Scotsman blushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, sir. I do, sir." The Fat Controller nodded.

"Carry on then." He walked away, leaving Flying Scotsman to stew in his own embarrassment.

* * *

Despite running to time well for the remainder of the day, he had not forgotten the embarrassment of his first journey and, as a result, returned to Tidmouth Sheds that night feeling rather irritable. The other engines could see he was upset.

"Is something wrong with Flying Scotsman?" Emily whispered to Thomas.

"I don't know. Maybe I should ask?" The tank engine cleared his throat.

"Is something wrong, Flying Scotsm-"

"You Sodor engines and all your questions! Can't you be _quiet _and let an engine get some rest!?" The engines were taken aback by Flying Scotsman's outburst, and Thomas winced before pouting.

"…sorry I asked." He muttered. Flying Scotsman rolled his eyes and fell asleep, still feeling rather stressed about the day's events.

* * *

He was still in a foul mood the following day.

"Good morning, Flying Scotsman!" Edward called as he puffed across the junction. The famous engine rolled his eyes and ignored Edward as he continued on.

"Hey! Flying Scotsman! Look at my paint!" James called from the washdown as he sped by, ignored once more. He even ignored the enthusiasts!  
"Say cheese, Scotsman!" One called. Flying Scotsman snorted and let off steam before thundering past, causing the enthusiasts to cough.

"My camera!" One lamented at the soaking wet camera.

* * *

Soon, he reached Wellsworth once more, where Philip was doing some shunting in the sidings.

"Oh hi, Flying Scotsman! I was just doing some shunting here before my next train, how are you?" Flying Scotsman simply harrumphed and ignored the little boxcab. The guard's whistle blew and he began to set off. Philip blinked in surprise.

"Do you want help up Gordon's Hill? Your train looks rather heavy." Flying Scotsman rolled his eyes.

"I'll be fine." He began to speed up, leaving Philip behind.

"Oh…alright…"

* * *

Flying Scotsman build up speed in order to have a good run at the hill, and it soon came into view.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" He puffed. As he began to charge up the hill however, he felt himself beginning to slow down.

"What? What's happening?" He looked down and gasped; the line was covered with leaves falling from the trees, and his wheels were currently slipping on the wet rails. He strained and groaned as his wheels spun, but he eventually felt the heavy coaches dragging him back down the hill again.

"No! No! Come on!" Try as he might, he soon reached the bottom of the hill.

"Great…I'll have to go back to the station for another go…" He muttered, and began to slowly reverse along the line.

* * *

Philip, still shunting, was surprised to see the express coaches reversing back into the station, followed by a very sheepish looking Flying Scotsman.

"Oh! Back already?" He asked. Flying Scotsman sighed.

"I couldn't get up the hill…" Philip raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong? You seem really down!" The famous engine grimaced.

"Well, yesterday I was late on my first train because I got caught in a conversation with an engine, and it's only been worse since…I like all of you, but I'm used to getting a chance to rest at stations, not constantly be bombarded with questions. I want to make my brother's passengers happy, but I've just been making silly mistakes." He sighed, but Philip continued to smile.

"Even famous engines make mistakes!" Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"Tell that to Gordon." He muttered.

"You're a polite engine, Flying Scotsman, and everyone keeps talking to you because you have interesting things to say! If you want to take a rest, just be assertive! Tell the other engine 'no thank you, can we talk later'? No one will think any less of you for it, I promise!" Flying Scotsman cracked a smile as he saw Philip beaming at him.

"…Alright, I'll give it a try. Would you mind giving me a push up the hill?" Philip grinned.

"Would I ever!" He quickly raced around the back of the train, causing Flying Scotsman to chuckle.

* * *

After he had been helped over Gordon's Hill by Philip, Flying Scotsman continued to speed along the line. He soon approached Crovan's Gate, where Thomas was waiting with the local. He could see Flying Scotsman approaching and nervously looked away. The famous engine braked into the platform and cleared his throat as his passengers disembarked.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you last night, Thomas; I know you were just trying to help." The tank engine was surprised, but smiled.

"Thank you, Flying Scotsman. I'd love to talk sometime…if you'd be okay with it, of course." Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"Well, I'd like a rest before the rest of my journey, so not at this moment, but does tonight in the sheds sound good?" Thomas beamed.

"That sounds great! Thanks, Flying Scotsman!" As Thomas blew his whistle and left the station, Flying Scotsman had a brief rest before his own guard blew the whistle and he continued on, feeling refreshed.

* * *

Flying Scotsman soon approached a bend where some enthusiasts were waiting with their cameras. He looked back at his train before looking back to the cab.

"Driver, are we ahead of schedule?" The driver poked his head out of the cab window.

"Currently five minutes ahead, yes." Flying Scotsman smirked.

"Do we have time to slow down for the enthusiasts?" The driver grinned, nodded, and promptly began to slow Flying Scotsman down. Flying Scotsman passed the enthusiasts briefly before giving them a wink, sliding his smoke deflectors forward and rocketing ahead, their cameras flashing all the while.

* * *

Flying Scotsman soon approached Vicarstown, where he braked gently into the platform. He looked up at the clock and grinned.

"Right on time!" He chuckled.

* * *

Flying Scotsman continued to work well pulling the express, and the other engines gradually began to get used to having him around.

"Flying Scotsman! James is saying I look like a green caterpillar with red stripes!" Percy fumed as Flying Scotsman backed into the shed at the end of another busy day. Flying Scotsman laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't say an engine looks anything like a caterpillar, does it?" Flying Scotsman and Percy laughed, leaving James to fume. Thomas backed into the shed and grinned.

"Ready for another day of pulling the express tomorrow?"

"Actually, I'm going home tomorrow; Henry will be taking the express until Gordon gets back." Henry smiled proudly, but the other engines looked sad. Philip, who was shunting trucks nearby, raced up to the sheds.

"You're leaving?"

"Not because of anything we did, I hope." Edward said. Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"No, no, nothing of the sort. My loan period's up and my owner needs me back on my railtours; we can't hold the enthusiasts off forever!" The engines laughed and the famous engine smiled.

"Thank you all for being so kind to me, especially you, Philip." The boxcab blushed modestly before Flying Scotsman continued.

"I'm sorry I was somewhat rude to you all at the beginning of my stay." Thomas grinned.

"No worries at all; you're welcome back anytime!" Flying Scotsman beamed.

"I hope to be back soon then! Just…can you all promise me one thing?" The engines listened intently before Flying Scotsman began to laugh.

"Don't tell my little brother that I was late with his express; he'd never let me hear the end of it!" The engines all joined in on Flying Scotsman's laughter, and he could definitely see why his little brother loved living on Sodor so much.

**THE END**

* * *

While I didn't explicitly mention this in the story, the repairs Gordon is going under here are the ones from being converted from a streamlined engine, making this episode a direct sequel to _The Great Race!_ Flying Scotsman as the lead is not something that often gets focused on, and I loved getting to know this character a little bit better by putting him in the spotlight. Revisiting his relationship with Philip from their race in TGR was really fun too, as being fond of Philip is something the brothers have in common (even if Scotsman is a lot more outgoing about showing it than Gordon is). The season premiere of Set 3 will directly follow this episode, and be about Gordon and Scotsman...though just what that episode will entail you'll have to wait and see. Although Vicarstown appeared in Season 21, Flying Scotsman himself did not, and I thought it appropriate to give him an episode since, in theory, Season 21 was supposed to be tied to TGR.

As always, what's next:

\- _Henry's Record_

_\- Hugo Does the Washing_

_\- Ring Around the Rosie_

_\- A Captive Audience_

_\- No Time for Ryan - _Ryan offers to help out with Percy's work, but quickly realizes that going back and forth between his branch line and Thomas' is too difficult.


	12. Henry's Record

**HENRY'S RECORD**

It was the end of another busy day on the Island of Sodor, and the engines were returning to Tidmouth Sheds. Henry rolled onto the turntable and began to turn around to enter the sheds. Percy grinned at him.

"Evening, Henry! How was your day?" Henry smiled.

"Hello, Percy. I was busy today; glad to get home for a rest!" He chuckled. Suddenly, the engines heard a whistle and Gordon rolled up to the sheds with an enormous grin on his face. As Henry reversed into his berth, Edward raised an eyebrow.

"You seem like you're in a good mood, Gordon." He commented. Gordon's grin only got wider.

"I am, Edward." He rolled onto the turntable.

"Everyone! Today while taking the express…I broke my speed record!" The engines were impressed.

"Congratulations, Gordon!"

"Good job, Gordon!" The big engine smirked.

"Thank you! It's about time I pushed myself to the limit and set a new bar for myself, as only the fastest engine on Sodor can do! I-"  
"He always gets like this." Henry grumbled. James rolled his eyes.

"Did you expect anything less?" As Gordon continued to gloat as he backed into his berth, Emily rolled her eyes.

"Well, hopefully he calms down a bit tomorrow; he can only boast about his speed record for so long." Thomas chuckled.

"With Gordon, who knows how long 'so long' will be?" The engines looked to Gordon, who was currently continuing to talk to a rather irritated-looking Henry.

"…I can't wait to see the look on my brother's face when I tell him!" Henry rolled his eyes.

* * *

Gordon continued to boast into the next day, and the engines quickly began to grow fed up with him.

"Fastest and best!" Gordon shouted as he thundered through Maron, startling Henry who was sitting in the platform with a passenger train. Henry groaned. He was later waiting at a signal when he heard Gordon's whistle and the big blue engine thundered by again, causing a cloud of dust to surround the green engine and him to cough furiously.

"Record holder coming through!" Gordon called as he raced into the distance. Henry finished coughing before harrumphing to himself and continuing on.

* * *

"He's become utterly unbearable! Yes, a speed record is something to be celebrated and all, but Gordon just won't stop talking about it! If I hear one more thing about 'the fastest engine on Sodor', I swear I'm going to…going to…" Henry stuttered as he complained to Percy at the junction. The smaller engine chuckled.

"Do something about it?" Henry huffed.

"I'll think of something…" He muttered. Percy rolled his eyes.

"He'll calm down eventually, Henry. I'm sure he'll get over it soon; all we can really do is let him ride it out." Suddenly, Gordon's whistle blasted and the express shot past.

"I'm the greatest! Just watch me fly by! No one else could go as fast as me!" Henry snorted as the big blue engine disappeared into the distance.

"He's not the only one who's taken the express before…_I _could go that fast if I wanted to." Percy smirked as Henry continued to grumble.

* * *

That evening, Henry returned to the sheds after a long day's work, looking forward to an early night's sleep before having to get up early to take the Flying Kipper. However, when he arrived, Gordon was already boasting to the other engines.

"I am the finest engine on the island of Sodor…probably the finest in the world! No place else runs an express service as efficient as mine, for they don't have as fast an engine at its head than me!" Henry backed into his berth as quietly as he could, trying to ignore Gordon so he could get to sleep. However, the big blue engine only continued to talk.

"Honestly, I think my speed record might put me in the running for the next Great Railway Show!" He shut his eyes tightly.

"Of course, I'd win; nothing less can be expected from an engine of my caliber!" He shut them even tighter.

"Honestly, the Fat Controller sh-"

"Could you _please_ be quiet, Gordon? You beating your own speed record isn't that impressive!" Gordon gasped indignantly.

"What?" He thundered. Henry continued to stand his ground and glare at him.

"I bet that _I_ could beat your speed record! I've taken the express before and kept to time just as well as you! Even _James _has taken the express before!" James looked away from the escalating argument.

"Please keep me out of this." He muttered. Gordon ignored him and scoffed.

"Oh, please, Henry, don't be ridiculous. You wouldn't even get close to my speeds on the express! I-"

"I don't have time to argue about this, Gordon! I need to go to sleep so I can take the Kipper tomorrow! Goodnight!" Henry snapped, and promptly shut his eyes. Gordon went red with embarrassment before an idea flew into his funnel and his smile twisted into a smirk.

"Alright, Henry; if you're so fast, why don't you have a go at my speed record tomorrow…while taking the Flying Kipper?" The other engines gasped as Henry opened an eye.

"What?" Gordon continued to smirk.

"The express isn't what makes me fast, my dear Henry; it's my inherent design! If your speed is just as good as mine, the Flying Kipper is just as good a train to use it, is it not?" Henry snorted.

"I suppose so." Gordon grinned.

"Well then, shouldn't be too hard…if you really think you're fast enough." Henry glared at the big blue engine before Percy cut in.

"Gordon, don't be ridiculous! The Flying Kipper stops at every station; the express just gets to plough right on! There's no way Henry can beat you! Right, Henry?" Henry, however, was frowning and staring at Gordon, paying Percy no mind. Percy cleared his throat.

"Henry?" The green engine looked to Gordon, still with a determined scowl on his face.

"Alright, Gordon. I'll beat your record while taking the Kipper; should be pretty easy." Gordon smirked.

"Well, alright then! Good luck tomorrow, Henry…you'll need it." Henry rolled his eyes and shut them to head to sleep. As Gordon confidently shut his eyes as well, the rest of the engines shared nervous glances; they knew things weren't going to end well.

* * *

Early the following morning, when it was still dark outside, Henry left the sheds to take the Flying Kipper. He was determined to beat Gordon's record, and grumbled the whole way to the docks.

"Faster than Gordon, faster than Gordon…" He muttered under his breath as he made his way towards the junction.

* * *

When Henry arrived at the Docks, he backed down onto the vans waiting for him. They looked old and rusty, but this was typical for the Kipper and as a result Henry paid them no mind.

"How's the haul today, Cranky?" He asked up at the crane. To his surprise, he got a loud snore in response.

"Cranky didn't load up your vans today, chuck; _I_ did!" Henry raised an eyebrow as a bright yellow gantry crane with an enormous grin on her face rolled alongside him.

"You must be Carly." Carly the Crane beamed.

"That's me, and you're Henry! I know you've been coming down here to take your train, but I've always been asleep so I asked Cranky if I could load you today so we could get to have a chat! So, what's going on with you then, Henry?" The big green engine chuckled.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Carly. Well, I _am _trying to beat Gordon's speed record today-"

"A _speed record_! That sounds exciting! What made you want to do that?"

"Well, Gordon has been boasting non-stop about it and challenged me, so I decided I would beat his record to get him to be quiet!" Carly frowned.

"Don't you hate when that happens? That Gordon sounds very full of himself!" Henry chuckled.

"He is! He thinks he's so great because he pulls the express; I've pulled the express too! I'll beat his record on this train and I'll show him that he isn't the _only _fast engine on this island!" Carly grinned.

"That's great, Henry! You show him who's boss!" Suddenly, Henry heard the guard's whistle blow.

"Oh, I better get going. It was nice to meet you, Carly!"

"Nice to meet you too, Henry! Hope you beat that silly Gordon's record!" Henry whistled and began to leave the docks with his long, heavy train. He smirked to himself as he started to pick up speed and soon had rattled away into the distance. Carly grinned as she watched him leave, before seeing Porter moving some trucks into place below her.

"Porter! I just met that Henry engine! He seems super nice; I think we're going to be friends!" She beamed. Porter chuckled.

"That's great, Carly! Did you warn him about the brakes on those old vans like I asked? He needs to know that he has to travel slowly since some of them don't work!" Carly's face fell and she gulped nervously.

"Oopsie…" She squeaked quietly.

* * *

Henry was thundering along the main line, the Flying Kipper's vans rattling behind him. He had been making excellent time, and smirked confidently to himself as he approached Wellsworth station and looked at the clock.

"Early! I can't wait to see the look on Gordon's face when I've beaten him! That'll show him!" The guard's whistle blew again and Henry began to charge towards Gordon's Hill, speeding up as he did so.

* * *

As Henry climbed the hill, smoke and steam erupted from his funnel. His train was heavy, but he was working so hard that his wheels barely slipped. His driver poked his head of the cab window as the green engine puffed up the hill.

"Easy, Henry! It's early; people are trying to sleep, you know! I don't think the Fat Controller would appreciate it if we got a noise complaint!" Henry was too focused to listen. Finally, the top of the hill came into view, and Henry grinned triumphantly as he began to coast down the other side. He began to pick up speed and grinned triumphantly.

"I'll beat that record yet!" He laughed and began to apply to his brakes to slow down. However, to his surprise, he felt the vans surge against his buffers and, instead of slowing down, he began to speed up. He gasped and tried to put sand on the rails so he could have a better grip, but the vans were too heavy and he continued to speed forwards.

"Oh no! I can't stop! I'm a runaway train! HELP!" He called as he raced past a signalbox. The signalman, sitting inside and reading a magazine, saw Henry fly by and gasped in horror. He immediately scrambled to his telephone before dialing in a number.

"There's a runaway coming! You'll have to send him into the sidings!"

"Will do!" The stationmaster at Maron slammed down the phone and sprinted towards the points as he saw Henry round the bend into view, brakes sparking. The big green engine was approaching fast, but the stationmaster managed to switch the points just in time. Henry's crew jumped clear as he hurtled into the runaway siding and approached the buffers. Henry shut his eyes in horror as he hit the buffers with a loud "CRASH" and burst through onto the road, falling onto his side and scraping against the pavement as the vans derailed behind him, bursting open and spilling fish everywhere, including all over Henry. As the dust finally cleared, a strong smell of fish hung in the air. Henry groaned in pain.

"Ouch…" A fish promptly fell from atop his smokebox and onto his running board, leaving a slimy trail behind it.

* * *

It was morning before Henry could be rescued by Rocky. Percy, who had brought him to clean up the mess, winced as he saw Henry's scratched paintwork as the crane lifted him back onto the rails.

"You're alright, Henry; your wheels are back on the rails again!" Rocky reassured him as the big green engine finally felt the rails beneath his wheels again. Henry groaned.

"I feel sore all over…" However, he heard a familiar horn and saw Winston the Inspection Car approaching…with the Fat Controller aboard. He looked very cross.

"Henry! What on earth were you thinking, traveling so fast? While I understand that you weren't warned about the brakes on the vans, racing about like you're the…_Flying Scotsman _is something else entirely!"

"A different 'kettle of fish', sir?" Winston suggested from behind him, chuckling to himself. Henry didn't seem nearly so amused. Before he could reply, however, he heard a whistle and saw Gordon puffing into Maron with the express. He gasped as he saw Henry.

"Henry! Are you alright?" Another fish slid off of Henry's boiler.

"I've been better." He replied, deadpan. Gordon's concern quickly replaced itself with bravado.

"Well, what did I tell you? For all your talk, you couldn't beat my speed record-"

"_What?_" The Fat Controller thundered. Gordon's smirk dropped instantly as he angrily marched towards the big blue engine.

"Do you mean to tell me that _you _are responsible for this, Gordon?" The big blue engine stuttered.

"Well, sir, I-"

"Now, _listen here, _both of you. Henry, an engine who has been on my railway for this long should know not to be reckless, and that includes not trying to beat _express _speed records on _stopping_ trains." Henry blushed in embarrassment.

"Yes, sir." The Fat Controller turned to Gordon.

"And _you, _Gordon, should know that being boastful and putting other engines in danger through silly wagers is _also _something we don't do on this railway. I wouldn't be so full of myself about that speed record if I were you; from what I heard last night, if Henry hadn't gotten into an accident, he _would've _beaten it!" Gordon gasped and gave Henry a stunned look. He blustered to try and find the words, but could only settle into a defeated scowl.

"…yes, sir." The guard's whistle blew and Gordon grumbled away with the express. Percy chuckled as he disappeared into the distance.

"Well, _that _should stop his boasting for a while, eh, Henry? No more record attempts for you!" Henry didn't reply, but Percy could see from the satisfied smile on his face that he wholeheartedly agreed.

**THE END**

* * *

We're back after a bit of a hiatus! Been getting settled in at college for my sophomore year, but finally back with another episode of this! Henry's grumpier persona has taken a bit of a backseat as of late, but I wanted to give it a feature here in this premise playing off his rivalry with Gordon. Henry is my favorite character in the entire series, and writing a role for him that is a bit different from all the softer roles I usually give him was something really nice. Writing a more boastful than grumpy Gordon was a treat as well, as was continuing to capitalize on Henry and Percy's dynamic from my RWS adaptations and incorporating Carly into the plot to give her more of a role in the world. This is definitely one of the season's simpler stories, but I like it as the story (the crash especially) started coming across as a Season 5 vibe. The rest of the season should be coming out pretty consistently!

As always, what's next:

\- _Hugo Does the Washing_

\- _Ring Around the Rosie_

_\- A Captive Audience_

_\- No Time for Ryan_

_\- Samson & Bradford - _Samson tries to manage the Troublesome Trucks without Bradford's help while Bradford works with Hiro's well-behaved trucks and becomes rather bored.


	13. Hugo Does the Washing

**HUGO DOES THE WASHING**

Hugo is a rail zeppelin who lives in the Earl of Sodor's Railway Museum. He carries passengers all over the island on tours and is nothing but polite to all of them.

"Good morning, everyone! Are you ready for our tour?" He greeted his newest rake of passengers as they climbed aboard in one of the platforms at Ulfstead Castle. His driver and owner, Mr. Franz Kruckenberg, held his door open up until the last of his passengers had boarded.

"Ready to go, Hugo!" He shut Hugo's rear door before climbing into the cab and shutting the door. Hugo honked his horn before slowly heading out of the castle, turning his propeller on as soon as he was clear of the platform.

* * *

Hugo is a very unique engine; unlike any other engine, he uses a propeller on his rear in order to travel fast. This propeller makes him faster than other engines, but it has its drawbacks too.

"Whoa, Hugo! Don't forget about your propeller!" Franz called as Hugo approached Wellsworth. Hugo could see the platform approaching with people on it and quickly turned his propeller off.

"Sorry, right away!" Hugo slowly and gently rolled into the platform. He has to turn his propeller off before entering stations in order to keep people safe, and there are certain areas he cannot go because of the risk of sucking things into it. Once Hugo had stopped, he stared at the hill ahead of him and smiled to himself.

"I wonder…"

* * *

Hugo imagined himself rocketing up the hill before flying off the top of it and soaring away towards the horizon. He grinned as he saw the engines heading along the line below him.

"Hello!" He called as he soared over James, causing the red engine to gasp in surprise. Hugo then soared higher into the air before doing a loop-de-loop and coming in for a landing as he approached Knapford station.

"Here we are! Knapford sta-"

* * *

"GAH!" Hugo gasped as he quickly braked to a halt in front of Thomas, waiting in the platform of the actual Knapford station in front of him. Thomas shut his eyes in horror, but Hugo managed to stop just in time. The rail zeppelin chuckled nervously.

"Sorry, Thomas; I guess I got distracted…" Thomas smirked.

"Daydreaming about flying again?" Hugo grinned sheepishly.

"Well, yes, but I know that I'm meant to stay on the ground." The tank engine laughed.

"I'm glad!" Hugo smiled as he backed up in order to switch tracks in order to get into the right platform. Once he had moved into position, he noticed passengers boarded Annie and Clarabel.

"Are you about to head down your branch line, Thomas?" He asked. Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I am, Hugo; passengers to deliver!" Hugo sighed longingly.

"I'd love to go down a branch line someday; there's so much of the island that I haven't seen! There's yours that goes by the farms, Edward's that goes down to the docks, and Duck's-"

"What about my branch line, Hugo?" Hugo heard a whistle and saw Duck rolling into the platform with his Slip Coaches. He smiled.

"Oh, hello, Duck! I was just telling Thomas about wanting to go down a branch line-"

"You? Go down a branch line, Hugo? It's not safe! The trees are a lot thicker down the branch lines and you could suck branches into your propeller! People live right by the railway on my branch line and _they _could end up getting hurt! It's just too much of a liability to have you on a branch line!" Hugo frowned.

"Oh…it's just always been a dream of mine." He muttered quietly. Duck sighed.

"I'm sorry, Hugo, but it's just the way things are." His guard blew the whistle and Duck began to leave the station, leaving Thomas to look at Hugo's sad expression before leaving the station himself.

* * *

When they had returned to the castle, Hugo spoke to Franz as he checked him over.

"I understand that my propeller is a bit of a risk, but I'm always careful! I just want to see more of the island than just the part I give tours on; I don't think anything could be dangerous about that!…Sorry, I raised my voice." He sighed. Franz frowned as he grabbed a wrench.

"_I_ know that you're careful, Hugo, but I can't change the law. It's better to just see the part of the line that you already do than to sit around the shed, is it not?" He proceeded to crank something into place as Hugo sighed.

"Oh, I suppose you're right…still, to go down a branch line would be amazing…" Franz gave Hugo a look of concern as he entered the cab. As he released Hugo's brake, he noticed something wasn't working properly.

"Hugo?"

"Yes, Franz?"

"After this tour, can you remind me to take another look at your brakes? It's fine for now but the handle seems a bit loose." Hugo smiled.

"Will do!" He honked his horn and rolled towards the platform to collect more passengers.

* * *

Later, Hugo arrived at Knapford again and, as his passengers disembarked, saw Philip the Diesel Boxcab speaking to Duck and Oliver on the other side of the station.

"So, what is your branch line like, Duck?" Oliver cleared his throat.

"_Our _branch line." He corrected, but Duck smiled.

"Oh, it's lovely, Philip. I tell you, on a clear summer day, when the sky is blue-"

"And there's just enough breeze to blow the clouds away…" Oliver added.

"…our branch line really is a sight to behold. How the sea shimmers in the sunshine, how you can hear only your steam, the gulls, and the ocean, how you can see Mrs. Twill's washing hanging out to dry…"

"…there really is no other place like it." Hugo was listening in, and hanging onto every word.

"Wow…that sounds beautiful…" He muttered to himself. Philip seemed just as impressed.

"That sounds amazing! Oh, I have to shunt another train, but it was nice to talk to you! Bye!" He honked and zoomed away, leaving Duck and Oliver to chuckle.

"Are you heading back up to Arlesburgh?" Oliver asked.

"No, you go ahead without me; I have to get some shunting done here." Oliver whistled and rolled out of the station.

"See you back at the sheds, Duck!" Duck whistled back. Oliver moving out of his platform had put Hugo in Duck's line of sight, and the Great Western Engine saw Hugo's amazed expression. He cleared his throat.

"Afternoon, Hugo." Hugo gasped in surprise.

"Goodness, you startled me! Hello, Duck." He smiled. Duck raised an eyebrow.

"Something distracting you?" Hugo could see Duck looking warily at his propeller and chuckled nervously.

"No, it's nothing." Duck whistled and began to leave the station himself.

"Good to see you!" He called politely. Hugo looked back in the direction Oliver had gone and sighed.

"If only I could go down a branch line…" He was thinking so much about how lovely Duck and Oliver's branch line sounded that he forgot to remind Franz to check his brakes.

* * *

A few days later, Hugo arrived at Knapford with another tour. A group of important-looking passengers walked onto the platform, followed by Franz stepping out of Hugo's cab.

"This group has paid _very _handsomely for a tour, Hugo; we really need to wow them! I'll give them my spiel and you give them the smoothest ride they've ever received back to the castle; this needs to go off without a hitch!" Hugo grinned.

"I won't let you down, Franz!" Franz smiled.

"_Braver junge._" He then turned around to speak to the passengers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all enjoyed your first part of the journey aboard the 'Engine of the Future'! My name is Franz Kruckenberg, and I am the designer of this marvelous machine…" As Franz gave his speech to the passengers, Hugo could see the junction behind the station; the junction that he knew led to Duck's branch line. He sighed and looked down at the ground, but to his surprise he could see that the sleepers seemed to be moving below him.

"Huh? Have we started off again already?" Hugo looked back and was surprised to see Franz and the passengers getting farther and farther away on the platform.

"My brake's off! Help!" Franz was finishing up his speech when he suddenly heard a familiar whirring noise and gasped.

"Hugo! HIS PROPELLER IS ON! EVERYONE GET CLEAR!" People ran aside as Hugo's propeller began to spin and the rail zeppelin started to pick up speed.

"Oh no! Help! I can't stop!" Luckily, no one was hurt as Hugo left the station, but Franz's hands clutched his head in stress as his "engine of the future" disappeared into the distance.

"HUGO!" He cried, but Hugo was already barreling down the line towards the Little Western.

* * *

Hugo rocketed down the line, utterly terrified. He gasped as he approached a level crossing and saw Bulgy starting to cross the line.

"LOOK OUT! I CAN'T STOP!" Bulgy gasped as Hugo approached and quickly reversed out of the way, allowing the rail zeppelin to speed past. The double-decker bus could only stare stunned at the departing Hugo for a moment before his face fell into a scowl.

"You think just because you're a fancy engine that you own the crossing? THE ROADS HAVE JUST AS MUCH RIGHT TO USE IT, YOU GREEDY CAN! DOWN WITH RAILWAYS!" He shouted ferociously; Hugo was too far away to hear.

"Bah…" Bulgy grumbled before ringing his bell and driving away.

* * *

Hugo shouted in horror as the seaside started to come into view; a sharp bend in the track lay ahead!

"I'm going so fast that I'll come off the rails! SOMEBODY! HELP! I HAVE TO STOP-Ouch!" He cried as he sucked a nearby twig into his propeller, causing it to be reduced to splinters in seconds. Down the line, Mrs. Twill, who owned a cottage by the railway, was in her backyard putting out her laundry out on the line.

"Ah, this'll be dry in a few hours…lovely day for it!" However, she failed to notice that part of her washing line wasn't tied properly…not that she would've had time too with Hugo approaching fast!  
"Get out of the way! Runaway zeppelin!" Mrs. Twill heard Hugo's voice and gasped before running back to her house. Hugo tore past the house…and then, it happened. The untied line was tugged free by the air from Hugo's propeller, causing the clothes to gradually begin sliding off the line as Hugo tore past. Mrs. Twill gasped.

"My clothes!" She cried as they flew off the line and soared through the air…right into Hugo's propeller. With a loud shredding noise, Hugo gasped as he felt the clothes start to get tangled in his propeller.

"What's that?" He got his answer in the form of his propeller sputtering and smoking. Slowly, Hugo began to roll to a stop, shutting his eyes tightly until he felt that he was no longer moving.

"Oh, I've stopped! Hooray!…but, how did I stop?" However, he heard a voice and looked back to see Mrs. Twill running down the line towards him.

"You great silly engine! You've gone and shredded my clothes! Where's your driver?" Hugo gasped and looked back at his broken propeller, seeing that shredded fabric had wrapped itself around its blades.

"Oh no! I'm ever so sorry, ma'am. I was out of control and I guess my propeller must have sucked them into it!" He looked positively ashamed. Mrs. Twill's expression softened when she could see how sorry Hugo is.

"Oh, don't worry about it, dearie; it sounds like it was an accident. Just sit tight and I'll use the phone at my cottage to call for help." Hugo gave a small smile.

"Thank you, ma'am." As Mrs. Twill walked away, Hugo looked out towards the sea and his face cracked into a smile.

* * *

Soon enough, Duck arrived to rescue Hugo. He buffered up behind him and whistled before beginning to push.

"Fancy seeing you around here!" He teased. Hugo blushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Duck; my brake didn't come on properly and I ended up shredding Mrs. Twill's laundry…I know I shouldn't be up here. I feel awful." Duck sighed as Hugo looked down at the rails.

"It's alright, Hugo, I'm sorry too; I think I've been a bit…cynical to you as of late. I know what it's like to have a dream you feel like is impossible." Hugo raised an eyebrow.

"You do?" Duck chuckled and looked out towards the sea as they rolled along.

"Sometimes, I wonder about lands beyond the horizon…but I know that sometimes the best travels are those that you can only dream about." Hugo raised an eyebrow back at Duck before looking out to the sea and smiling.

"Well, this is traveling I _have _dreamed about…" He muttered, and he and Duck simply admired the scenery for the remainder of the journey.

* * *

Hugo was surprised when Duck pushed him onto a siding at Arlesburgh West.

"Why are you leaving me here?" Duck smiled as he reversed.

"We can't get a route to take you back to the castle until the end of the day, so we'll leave you here for the time being." He could see that Hugo was starting to look lonely and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Hugo; you have some _little friends_ of mine to keep you company!" Hugo raised an eyebrow as Duck whistled and puffed away. However, he suddenly heard a much higher whistle and was surprised to see that two tender engines, one red and one green, both smaller than any engines he had ever seen before had rolled up alongside.

"Hello there! We've never seen anyone like you around here before!" The green engine greeted, and the red engine smirked.

"Well, except flying through the sky; where are your wings? You look like an aeroplane, not an engine!" The green engine rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Mike, can you not say something rude for two minutes?" Mike glared.

"I don't know, Rex, can _you _not say something condescending for one?" Suddenly, another whistle sounded and a blue engine rolled alongside.

"Can you two stop arguing? You're scaring him!" Hugo, however, chuckled.

"No, it's fine! Sorry for staring, but…I've never seen any engines like you before." The blue engine grinned.

"Could say the same for you! My name's Bert."

"And I'm-"

"Rex, pleased to meet you." The green engine interrupted, causing the red engine to fume.

"I'm Mike! _I'm _the leader!" Mike smirked after quickly jumping in after Rex. Hugo smiled.

"I'm Hugo." Rex grinned.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Hugo. Now-"

"What on earth is that great spinny thing at the back of you?" Mike butted in, looking back at Hugo's propeller. The rail zeppelin blushed nervously.

"Oh, that's my propeller. I'm powered by diesel fuel, but my engine powers the propeller, which is how I move." The three small engines seemed very impressed.

"Wow."

"Very unique."

"You must be fast!" Hugo's nervousness slowly disappeared as he beamed.

* * *

Hugo spoke to the small engines all day long and into the evening. When Duck arrived to push him home, he was sad to leave. However, he _was _happy to see Franz, who was riding in Duck's cab.

"Franz!" Franz jumped down from the cab and ran to him.

"Hugo! Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" Hugo beamed at the sight of his owner.

"I'm so sorry I ran off, Franz; it was an accident!" Franz chuckled.

"Don't worry, Hugo, it was my fault; besides, I'm just happy that you're okay. Now, let's get you home and repaired." He climbed into Hugo's cab and started to take a look at his controls. Duck buffered up behind Hugo and, using a chain, pulled him out of the siding. Hugo could see Rex, Mike, and Bert looking sadly at him from the Wharf.

"It was nice to meet all of you!" Bert smiled sadly.

"It was nice to meet you too, Hugo, but…"

"…all the same, it's very sad you can't come visit again." Mike finished. Hugo thought for a moment and then grinned.

"Maybe you can come visit me up at the castle?" Duck smiled.

"I'd gladly take any of you!" The three small engines' faces lit up.

"Oh, that'd be lovely!" Bert beamed.

"Cheers, Hugo!" Rex called.

"Have a safe journey home!" Hugo grinned at his new friends.

"Goodbye!" Duck whistled and the duo left Arlesburgh West.

* * *

As Duck pushed Hugo along the line towards the castle, the rail zeppelin thought of something.

"Duck?"

"Yes, Hugo?"

"I know some dreams can't come true, like you wanting to travel beyond the horizon or me wanting to fly, but you know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think that those dreams don't come true just to make the ones that do all the more special." Duck thought for a moment and smiled.

"I suppose you're right, Hugo." Hugo beamed, and happily thought about his day out on Duck's Branch Line the whole way home.

**THE END**

* * *

Hugo is a bit of a problematic character to write for because he has the triple-decker issue of a) not having an extremely defined personality, b) not having a defined job, and c) being so cripplingly overspecialized in his design that you can't really put him anywhere for stories. While c is a much harder nut to crack, I hope this story has resolved the first two issues. Hugo lives in the Earl's Railway Museum part-time, and the other part of the time is being rented out for tours by private parties, the Sudrian equivalent of a tourist attraction who only really goes back and forth along his route. My interpretation of Hugo is sweet, imaginative, and apologetic, almost like a socially awkward child, and getting to know him through writing this and definitely made me feel a lot more positive about the character. The other characters were also a blast to write for here; Duck has always been more of a "logic over feelings" engine, and using his branch line made more sense to me than Thomas or Edward. Giving Bulgy his first role (however minor) in his new stomping ground on the Little Western was also a ton of fun, as was using the small engines.

As always, what's next (as of now, every episode in S21 Redux has been announced!):

\- _Ring Around the Rosie_

_\- A Captive Audience_

_\- No Time for Ryan_

_\- Samson & Bradford_

_\- Marion Marks the Spot - _Bill and Ben rope Marion into one of their schemes based on Salty's stories to search for pirate treasure around the clay pits.


	14. Ring Around the Rosie

**RING AROUND THE ROSIE**

As the sun began to rise over Vicarstown Yards, Rosie the Red Tank Engine felt her eyes slowly flutter open to the sight of the orange early morning sky. She slowly puffed out of her two-row brick shed and whistled before shunting some trucks.

"Rise and shine, everyone! Busy day ahead!" The trucks groaned as Rosie bumped them into a line before she sped off towards the station.

* * *

Rosie had seen a lot of changes recently; she was now painted red instead of pink and has been appointed the pilot of Vicarstown station. She loves her new job, and is very good at keeping the chaotic station and shunting yards running like clockwork.

"Here's your trucks, Emily!" She called as she pushed the line of trucks she had gathered into the waiting Emily. The shunter coupled her up before Emily whistled and she began to pull out of the yard.

"Thank you, Rosie!" Rosie grinned and whistled back before hearing a loud whistle from the station.

"Is it 11:00 already? Oh, botheration! Coming, Gordon!" She raced towards the station as fast as she could. As she rolled into the station to collect Gordon's coaches, she looked along the platform and saw that it was filled with people.

"About time you showed up!" Gordon snapped. Rosie rolled her eyes as she was coupled up.

"You had to wait two minutes; truly, the end of the world!" She replied sarcastically. As she reversed out of the way with the coaches, she looked along the vast menagerie of people on the platform and smiled; one of her favorite things about her new job was getting to see all the different sorts of people that come in and out of the station.

"Oh, hello!" She chuckled as she saw two little boys run past on the platform, their exhausted mother in hot pursuit. Vicarstown Station attracted all sorts of travelers, and Rosie could find something interesting about all of them.

* * *

One day, Gordon pulled into Vicarstown with the morning express. He whistled as he braked to a halt, but looked to the normally full platform next to him and raised an eyebrow when it was empty.

"Hmm." He muttered. Suddenly, he heard the ping of the station intercom and looked up.

"_The train to Barrow-in-Furness is running fifteen minutes behind schedule; we apologize for the inconvenience and suggest that you browse the shops on the lower level of the station while you wait._" Gordon smirked.

"Leave it to Scott to be late!" He mused. His passengers slowly disembarked from the coaches and started spreading out across the platform. One man in particular sat down on a bench before sighing and digging into his pocket before pulling out a small box.

* * *

Rosie quickly came to fetch Gordon's coaches, and was quickly coupled up before starting to reverse out of the way with them. As she slowly reversed, her eyes saw the express passengers waiting on the platform, some checking their watches anxiously for the arrival of Flying Scotsman, and a few sitting and reading while they waited. However, Rosie soon passed by a bench and noticed something very interesting; a skinny, nervous-looking man staring at a small box.

"Excuse me, sir?" She asked as she braked to a halt. The man jumped in surprise.

"Yes?" He asked after regaining his composure. Rosie chuckled.

"I was wondering what that box you're holding is?" She looked at the box in his hands. He looked down at it and smiled.

"Well, I think that tonight I'm going to pr-" He was interrupted by a loud blast of a whistle and Flying Scotsman rolled into the station. Gordon smirked.

"Well, well, well!" He greeted. Flying Scotsman rolled his eyes.

"Signal failure, Gordon; could happen to any engine. Get in quickly please, everyone! We're already behind schedule and I don't want to keep any of you delayed any longer!" Quickly, the passengers from the express swarmed the train. The man Rosie had been talking to gasped.

"Oh, I better get going…Goodbye!" He hastily stuffed the box into the pocket of his coat before quickly running to get to Flying Scotsman's train. However, Rosie noticed that he had left something behind on the platform.

"Wait! You forgot your box!" She cried, but the man didn't hear. He was so focused on catching his train that he simply rushed aboard. The guard shut the door behind him and Flying Scotsman whistled before leaving the station again. As the famous engine rocketed into the distance, Rosie winced before looking back to the platform, where the box still stood on the bench. Rosie nervously looked around the station before looking back to her driver.

"Driver?" Rosie's driver poked her head out of the cab.

"Yes, Rosie?" Rosie's gaze drifted to the box.

"Could you grab that box please?" Her driver disembarked and picked up the small box. Rosie smiled.

"Can we keep an eye on it until that man comes back? He was looking at it a lot; it's definitely really important!" Rosie's driver raised an eyebrow.

"Rosie, there's no way we'll be able to find him; we don't know what train he's coming back on, if at all!" Rosie frowned.

"Please? Trains come in and out of the station all day! I'm sure he has to be on one of them! I just have to pop into the station and check each one; it'll be easy!" Rosie's driver thought for a moment before sighing and slipping the box into the pocket of her uniform.

"Alright, Rosie, but our work comes first." Rosie beamed.

"Thank you!" Her driver headed back into her cab and Rosie whistled before continuing to reverse out of the platform with her coaches.

* * *

As Rosie went about her work, she listened very intently for the sound of passenger trains coming into the station. As she shunted some trucks onto a siding, she heard a loud whistle and looked back to see Connor entering the station.

"That could be him!" She grinned and reversed…accidentally not putting her trucks entirely in the siding and blocking part of the line. As she quickly reversed into the station, Connor braked into the platform.

"Hey, Rosie! You're here faster than usual; not much other work today?" He asked politely as Rosie quickly braked alongside and started scanning the platform for the man who had had the box. Rosie didn't respond, and Connor raised an eyebrow.

"Rosie? What are you looking for?" Rosie's eyes darted across the platform, and although she saw plenty of other passengers, she couldn't find the man from that morning anywhere. She frowned.

"Oh, he's not here…" She sighed.

"Who's not here? What are you talking about?" Connor asked, confused. Rosie was about to reply when she suddenly heard a whistle and saw Henry angrily whistling outside the set of points where she had left her trucks across the line.

"Rosie! Why are there trucks here?" He shouted. Rosie blushed and quickly scampered away.

"Sorry, Henry! Coming!" She quickly shunted the trucks out of the way, allowing Henry to pass. He gave her a sharp glare before whistling and continuing on towards the platform. Rosie let out a sigh of relief as Henry finally passed, however…

"Gah!" She was startled by Connor blasting his whistle from the platform. The streamlined engine seemed rather sheepish.

"I don't mean to be rude, Rosie, but…could you move my coaches, please?" He asked. Rosie chuckled nervously.

"Yes, of course! Sorry, Connor!" She quickly returned to the platform to take Connor's coaches away, but kept a sharp eye out for the man the box belonged to.

* * *

All day long, Rosie tried to check for her missing passenger, but she couldn't balance it with her work. The instant she had a moment to check the platform, five more trains seemed to be ready to be taken away. However, she insisted on checking anyway…causing problems all over the yard!

"Whoa!" Thomas cried as he arrived with the local and saw James sitting in the platform facing him with a goods train, looking rather impatient. He slammed his brakes on before coming to a stop, buffer-to-buffer with James. Thomas opened his eyes to James giving him an unamused expression. Before either could say anything however, Rosie whistled and sped alongside.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" She called. James rolled his eyes as Thomas looked rather concerned. Later, Gordon was sitting impatiently in the platform for his express coaches, and was rather surprised to see them sliding into the platform next to him.

"Rosie! You're putting my coaches in the _wrong platform!_" He shouted. Rosie quickly slammed on her brakes, causing the coaches to bump together. Gordon winced in horror at the sound of the express coaches banging together.

"Be careful with my coaches! They're delicate; not like the trucks you slingshot around the yard all day!" He barked. Rosie rolled her eyes.

"Delicate like your ego, Gordon?" She snapped before reversing to correct her mistake, causing Gordon to harrumph crossly. In the goods yard, Rosie was moving some trucks onto a siding when she saw Samson, waiting impatiently for his goods train.

"Sorry! I'll have it in a second!" She called, before searching all over the yard. However, she couldn't find where she had put his trucks!

"Where is that train? Come on!" She searched through siding after siding but she couldn't find Samson's trucks, leaving the yard in a terrible mess!

* * *

Rosie tried to get everything under control again, and was shunting some trucks onto a siding when she suddenly heard Caitlin's whistle and saw that the streamlined engine was rolling into the platform.

"Here we are!" Caitlin called as she braked to a halt. Rosie tried to reverse with the trucks in front of her, but her driver wouldn't let her.

"Easy, Rosie; we can't leave our train!" She scolded. Rosie looked nervously at the platform as Caitlin's passengers began to disembark.

"But the man who the box belongs to could be on that train! He could be looking for it!" She pleaded. Her driver shook her head.

"Rosie, if he really needs the box, he'd go to lost property. We have work to do and we've been behind all day!" Rosie looked between her trucks and the station platform nervously before looking back towards her driver.

"Can we just do one quick run through the station? Just to check?" Her driver sighed.

"You're relentless, aren't you?" She opened the reverser and Rosie, still coupled to her trucks, began to reverse out of the siding. However, unbeknownst to either of them, there was trouble ahead: Hiro was calmly reversing onto a goods train that, in Rosie's scramble to check the station, had ended up stretched across a junction. He raised an eyebrow as a shunter coupled him up.

"Huh. Funny place for a train." He remarked. He couldn't see Rosie puffing towards his train with her own line of trucks, and she couldn't see him with the trucks in front of her! By the time she could…

"Oh no!" …it was too late. Rosie slammed her brakes on but it did no good to stop the heavy trucks. Rosie's trucks collided with Hiro's, causing trucks from both trains to derail. Two of Hiro's trucks toppled over with a loud crash and Rosie shut her eyes tightly until the dust had cleared; trucks lay everywhere and the yard was in a terrible mess.

"Hiro! Rosie! Are you okay?" Caitlin called, sitting with a concerned look in the station platform.

"I'm alright, Caitlin!" Hiro called back, before looking to Rosie.

"I don't suppose you could fetch a crane? I'm a little bit…trapped back here." Rosie's eyes drifted to the station platform again, but she knew she had made a mistake and it was more important to put things right.

"Yes, right away…" She whistled and sped away to fetch Rocky from the Search and Rescue Centre, sadly taking the box with her.

* * *

Rocky surveyed the scene and winced.

"Thank goodness no one was hurt! This will take a bit of time to clean up; could you help out, Rosie?" He asked. Rosie forced a smile.

"Of course!" Quickly, she and Rocky got to work. As Rocky lifted the derailed trucks back onto the line, Rosie quickly shunted the unhurt ones back into the sidings while shunting the damaged ones onto a train for 'Arry and Bert to take away. The operation took a long time, and Rosie worked so hard that she didn't have any time to check the platform to find the man who owned the box.

* * *

Finally, as the evening sky glowed orange, Rosie moved the last of the damaged trucks into place and whistled.

"That's everything!" She called. 'Arry and Bert sneered from the front of the train.

"'Bout time!" Bert snapped.

"Thanks for the scrap, Rosie; for such a _careless _engine, you're doing _wonders _for our business!" 'Arry laughed before his brother joined in and the two diesels took the trucks away. Even when the Iron Twins were out of sight, Rosie's driver could still notice her engine looked sad.

"Don't pay attention to those two, Rosie." Rosie sighed.

"It's not them; I'm bound to have missed the man with the box…I've been so busy cleaning up that I haven't had any time to check the platform, and trains have been coming in and out all day!" Her driver took the small box out of her pocket before smiling at Rosie.

"I know you wanted to help, Rosie, and you did all you could." Rosie cracked a small smile, but her eyes darted to the platform when she heard a familiar whistle and saw Flying Scotsman pulling into the platform. Once the famous engine had braked to a halt, his passengers began flooding onto the platform, including…

"Look!" Rosie gasped.

"What is it?" Her driver asked. Her firewoman looked out of the cab window and gasped.

"It's the man from this morning!" She gasped.

"The man with the box!" Rosie cried. Quickly, her crew left into the cab and reversed Rosie into the station. The man from that morning was walking down the platform, alongside a brunette woman in a red coat. He was rather startled when he heard Rosie's whistle as the tank engine sped alongside.

"Sir! Sir! You left your box here this morning! I've been holding onto it all day!" Rosie panted frantically as her driver stepped out of the cab and handed him the box. The man gasped in surprise.

"I didn't even know I'd lost it! Thank you so much for holding onto it, I-"

"Rory? What is that?" The man's face turned bright red as the woman stared at the box, tears beginning to appear in her eyes. He chuckled nervously.

"Well, I was hoping to do this out at dinner, but…" He got down on one knee and the woman gasped.

"Matilda, nothing makes me happier than the thought of being with you forever; will you marry me?" He opened the box, revealing what was inside; a shiny engagement ring with a beautiful gemstone. The station was silent as overjoyed tears began to flow down Matilda's cheeks.

"Yes, Rory! Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!" The entire station broke out into claps and cheers as the two lovers embraced. Engines all over the station blew their whistles, but Rosie blew hers loudest of all.

"WOO-HOO!" She cheered. Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"Well, that's not something you see every day, is it?" He noted. Rosie beamed.

"No, it's not!" Her driver chuckled.

"And it wouldn't have happened without you, Rosie." Rosie smiled as everyone in the station celebrated Rory and Matilda's engagement; an engagement that wouldn't have been possible without her.

**THE END**

* * *

Our first Rosie story that takes place entirely within her new environment at Vicarstown! I admit that the idea for this story solely came out of its title, but I'm very happy with how it turned out nonetheless; this is Rosie's first story where Thomas plays no major role in the plot since Season 12, and certainly her first one where she's been kind of an actual character. Rosie has also something that is unique to her at this moment, but it won't be for long; an all-female crew! I have been wanting to introduce female crew members and workmen to the series for some time, and they will now appear hopefully just as often as male crew members do. I tried to show Rosie's hardworking and passionate nature here through her dedication to both her work and to making sure she got the man (Rory) his box back, and I think I succeeded. Hopefully this story shows how Rosie will function around Vicarstown as she continues to make future appearances!

As always, what's next:

\- _A Captive Audience_

_\- No Time for Ryan_

_\- Samson & Bradford_

_\- Marion Marks the Spot_


	15. A Captive Audience

**A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE**

Charlie is Sodor's resident comedian.

"Hey, Gordon! Gordon!" Gordon groaned as he felt the Express Coaches bump against his rear buffers and saw the self-proclaimed "Funny Engine" speed alongside with a grin on his face. The big blue engine rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Charlie?" The tank engine snorted with pre-emptive laughter.

"Okay, okay, stop me if you've heard this one: an engine and a truck roll into a shed-" The guard's whistle blew and Gordon sighed in relief.

"Sorry, Charlie, I must be off; no time for your jokes!" Charlie frowned.

"But we're at the best bit!"

"_No. Time._" Charlie watched Gordon disappear onto the junction and chuckled nervously.

"Some other time then?" He suddenly heard another whistle and his eyes immediately lit up again.

"Emily! Do you want to hear a joke? I've got this new one I've really been wanting to try out-"

"Charlie!" Emily let out a sigh of relief as a rather cross-looking Stanley rolled alongside. Charlie winced.

"Uh oh. Hey, Stan, buddy." He greeted sheepishly. Stanley rolled his eyes.

"Why am I not surprised to find you slacking off again?" Charlie pouted.

"I wasn't slacking! Honest! I just shunted G-"

"I _know _you were because James is still waiting for his trucks in the main yard; trucks I told _you _to leave for him an hour ago." Charlie cringed.

"Oh. Sorry, Stan." Stanley sighed.

"Just go." Charlie whistled and sped away to shunt James' trucks. As he left, he could hear Stanley speaking to Emily behind him.

"Sorry about him; he finds comedy more interesting than work apparently…I wish he'd gain some sense and just stop trying to make his silly jokes all the time. It would save me and the other shunters a lot of effort!" Charlie harrumphed and continued on towards the yard, still in a foul mood.

"My jokes aren't silly…you're the one who's silly, _Stanley._" He muttered.

* * *

One afternoon, the Fat Controller came to see the shunters at Knapford Sheds.

"You all have kept this yard running very smoothly as of late; you should be very proud of yourselves." Stanley, Stafford, and Philip smiled proudly.

"Thank you, sir!" Stanley said graciously. The Fat Controller took out his clipboard.

"The summer is beginning, and you all are going to start being busier with more trains; are you all able to pay attention while I give you the differences in your schedule?"

"Yes, sir!" Three of the shunters replied. However, as they listened to the Fat Controller's instructions, the fourth among them was not paying much attention at all.

"…and my driver said, 'the signal? I thought you were talking about my wife!'" Charlie snickered quietly to himself at the newest punchline of his developing comedy set, not even realizing that the Fat Controller had arrived.

* * *

Later at night, Stanley was speaking to the other engines.

"Alright, everyone, let's review our extra trains for tomorrow; Philip?"

"I'm adding extra coaches to Gordon's express at the top of the day, and then I, um…oh! Oh! I know! I need to leave a train of empties in the sidings for Thomas to take to the quarry!" The boxcab grinned proudly and Stanley chuckled.

"Perfect, Philip."

"Yay!" Stanley looked to Stafford.

"Stafford?" The electric engine thought.

"Well, I think I have to…shunt Emily's coaches ten minutes earlier than usual since her local service is being bumped up and, erm…move Percy's mail coaches out of the way right when he gets back so they aren't taking up space in the yard?" Stanley grinned.

"Right on, Stafford. Now, Charlie?" He saw his co-worker with his eyes shut muttering to himself before snorting with giggles. Stanley cleared his throat.

"Charlie?" Still no reply.

"_Charlie!_" Charlie jumped at the sound of Stanley's whistle.

"I'm listening! I'm listening!" The popular engine raised an eyebrow.

"Clearly you weren't; what are we talking about, Charlie?" Charlie blushed red as Stanley gave him an expectant look. Stafford and Philip shared a nervous look. The purple engine thought long and hard before chuckling hesitantly.

"…I don't know?" Stanley had had enough.

"I expect you were making up _jokes _instead?" Charlie laughed nervously.

"Well…it was this _really good _bit about the difference between coaches and tr-"  
"Charlie, this is the last straw; _nobody_ wants to hear your 'standup set' when there's work to be done! I don't want to hear a _single _joke from you tomorrow until _every single train _you need to shunt is out of this yard, understand?" Charlie spluttered with shock as Stanley glared at him.

"Not _one joke? _But, Stan, come on, they're just jokes! I can work and joke at the same time! I do it all the time!"

"Well, you're _not_ going to do it tomorrow; Sir Topham Hatt is relying on all of us, and that includes _you, _Charlie. Just, for once, _try _to pull your weight." Charlie was about to retort, but Stanley cut him off.

"Now, tomorrow you need to shunt Henry's goods at the top of the day since Philip will be managing Thomas' trucks, and leave the coaches for James' train in Platform 3 instead of 4. Do you think you can handle that much, Charlie?" The smaller engine fumed at Stanley's condescending tone, but conceded and looked down at his buffers.

"Yeah, sure; you got it, Stan." Stanley smirked.

"Great! Now, remember all that for tomorrow everyone; we have a busy day ahead of us!" As the other engines went to sleep, Charlie found that he couldn't so he simply stayed awake, brooding.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie started work bright and early, and he passed Henry waiting for his goods train.

"On it, Henry! You'll have your trucks in a moment!" Henry smiled as the tank engine rolled past.

"That's good to hear. Thank you, Charlie." Charlie gave a small smile. However, his eyes darted around; there was no sign of Stanley anywhere. He smirked and quickly reversed back towards Henry.

"Say, Henry, can I ask you something?" The green engine raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, Charlie. What is it?" Charlie grinned.

"What's the difference between a fighting bull and a railway inspector?" However, he heard the sound of a clearing throat and saw Stanley giving him a glare from nearby.

"Charlie." Charlie pouted for a moment before sighing.

"…never mind." He rolled away to fetch the trucks, leaving a confused Henry and a satisfied Stanley behind.

* * *

As Charlie rolled into the part of the yard that was filled with trucks, he muttered to himself.

"What does Stan think he knows anyway? Just because he's 'popular' with everyone doesn't mean he can boss me around!…They like my jokes at least _sometimes_, don't they?" He sighed and looked down at his buffers.

"Maybe Stan's right…maybe I'm not funny at all." He rolled to a stop and looked around; there were no other engines, just lines and lines of trucks. He cleared his throat before speaking rather quietly.

"What's the difference between a fighting bull and a railway inspector?" He left a comedic beat before breaking into a grin.

"One is one loose strand of hay away from flying off the handle in a rage, and the other is a fighting bull!" Silence. Charlie chuckled sadly to himself, but to his surprise, he began to hear something.

"Ha!"

"Who's there?" He called, but the laughter only seemed to get louder.

"Hahaha!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" The funny engine gasped as he found himself surrounded by the one thing he wanted more than anything; laughter at his jokes! He quickly realized the source of the laughter; the Troublesome Trucks, who were now cackling.

"You guys…think I'm funny?" Charlie looked as if he were about to burst at the seams with joy. One of the trucks tried to calm down his laughter.

"Of course! We Troublesome Trucks love a good joke!"

"The other engines take themselves _way _too seriously!" Another added.

"But you? _You _are our kind of engine!" A third cackled. Charlie beamed from buffer to buffer. He was so happy that he was having trouble speaking!

"I'm not just an engine with one joke; I'm a comic! I have a whole set!…would you guys like to hear it?" His grin grew even wider as the Troublesome Trucks whooped and cheered in response. His excitement quickly covered itself with the bravado of a seasoned showman.

"Well, just sit back and relax, folks, because, as soon as you're all in your seats, the show will begin! The standup comedian you've all been waiting for…CHARLIE!" As Charlie warmed up his crowd while shunting them into a formation where they would all be able to see him, he completely forgot about the reason he was there in the first place…

* * *

Meanwhile, Stafford was rolling through the yard to bring some branch line coaches to the platform when, to his surprise, he saw Henry still waiting impatiently for his goods train in the yard.

"Henry? I would've thought you'd have left by now!" Henry snorted.

"So would I; _Charlie _still hasn't brought me my trucks. Could you tell him to hurry up? I'll be late if I don't leave soon!" The electric engine chuckled nervously.

"I'm sure he'll be along in a moment, Henry, don't worry." As Henry continued to wait, Stafford rolled onwards and his nervousness started to appear on his face.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…" He rolled into the station, where Stanley had just finished shunting Edward's coaches and was currently chatting up the blue engine.

"Well, I'm sure it must be lovely; your branch line is beautiful this time of year! Have a safe journey!" He called. Edward whistled and left with his coaches.

"Stanley?" Stafford hissed as the blue engine left the station. Stanley raised an eyebrow.

"What's up, Stafford?"

"Henry's still waiting for his goods; Charlie hasn't come back with them yet. Should we check on him? Something might have gone wrong!" To Stafford's surprise, Stanley laughed.

"Honestly, Stafford, you're worrying yourself over nothing! We both know I made it perfectly clear to Charlie last night that there would be no more messing around!" As he confidently reversed, Stafford winced.

"Well, yes, but-"

"I'm sure he's just having trouble finding a brake van or something, he'll be with Henry in a moment! Besides, we have plenty of our own work to do. Hop to it, Stafford!" As Stanley rolled out of sight, Stafford looked nervously towards the yard before rolling away himself to continue his work.

* * *

"…and my driver said, 'the signal? I thought you were talking about my wife!'" Charlie grinned as the Troublesome Trucks cackled at his newest zinger. He had arranged them into lines all facing the same direction, with him sitting at the front using a goods shed as his stage.

"This guy's a riot!" One truck laughed loudly.

"Stop! Stop! I'll fall over if I laugh any harder!" Another guffawed before bursting into another fit of giggles.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" The trucks began to chant. Charlie was smiling wider than he ever had; he had the perfect crowd in front of him!

"Alright, alright, calm down, you animals! An engine and a truck roll into a shed, and the engine…comes off the rails, because what do you expect?" The trucks burst out laughing again. One of the trucks in the front "row", the one who had first laughed at Charlie's joke, grinned.

"Oh, thank you for the show, Charlie, we haven't had a laugh like that in years! You're a real natural!"

"You've got talent!"

"You're going places!" However, to their surprise, Charlie simply give a sheepish grin.

"Actually, I was hoping that I'd be able to test out _all _my jokes on you guys; it's not too frequently I get a _captive audience, _if you're alright with it." The trucks shared glances.

"Well-"

"Let me show you a bit of what I have: buffers, am I right? Always there, but never quite as strong as we need them to be on this railway! Always needing them replaced with all the accidents that happen, but they can be _so expensive!_ You know, I've been meaning to tell the Fat Controller about the cheapest time to get them; the _end-of-line sale!_" Charlie delivered his punchline proudly, but the trucks didn't seem to laugh at this one. One coughed. The silence of the crowd was deafening to Charlie, and he quickly jumped into another bit.

"Well, yeah, um…ever wondered how engines go missing on this island? I mean, it seems pretty simple to me! All you have to do is follow the _tracks!…_get it? Heh-heh." He chuckled nervously as he heard his once raptured audience groan at the pun.

* * *

Stafford rushed around the yard. Everywhere he looked were cross engines waiting for their goods trains, but there were no trains in sight.

"Where's my train? I've been waiting for ages!" Henry called.

"What could possibly be the holdup?" James snapped as Stafford rolled past. The electric engine cringed.

"We'll have your trains in a moment! Just please sit tight!" He pleaded, and was greeted with angry whistles and horns. He saw Stanley nearby and quickly rushed over.

"Why are none of the trains ready? Where's Charlie?" He whispered frantically. To his surprise, Stanley seemed far more calm.

"We can deal with _Charlie_ later, but the engines will have their trains soon; Philip's gone to collect some trucks and that should get things back on schedule again." To their surprise, however, they heard a horn and Philip raced alongside, looking petrified.

"Stanley! I looked all over, but there aren't any trucks _anywhere!_" The boxcab cried. Stanley's expression dropped into one of horror as the angered whistles and horns started to blast all over the yard.

"…okay, we may have a problem." Stafford's eyes darted around.

"Where are all the trucks? There were loads this morning!"

"And where's Charlie?" Philip asked, terrified. Stanley was about to reply, but he heard the sounds of loud groaning from another part of the yard and raised an eyebrow. An idea flew into his funnel and his face fell into a scowl.

"Well, I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure that if we follow that groaning, we'll find the answer to _both _those questions. Come on, you two." He whistled and sped away to the source of the groaning, Stafford and Philip dutifully following.

* * *

By now, Charlie's "captive audience" didn't think he was funny anymore, and their performer was desperate to try and win them back.

"Wait! I have a really good one!" Charlie announced, clearly starting to get stage-fright from the groaning, booing trucks. He chuckled nervously.

"Anyone ever been to the r-railway's New Years party? Everyone w-wears the same thing! I rolled through the station while it was happening last year and all the guests were wearing _p-platforms!_" He fumbled through the joke, earning only more jeers from the crowd.

"Make it stop!"

"This is _torture_!"

"Somebody take me to the scrapyard so I don't have to listen to any more of these awful jokes!" Charlie was in utter panic mode, and his eyes darted across the crowd frantically. However, he heard a loud voice that turned his panic into terror.

"_Charlie! What are you doing!?_" The "funny" engine winced at the sound of Stanley's angry voice.

"Uh oh." At the back of his proverbial auditorium stood a furious Stanley, flanked by a rather nervous-looking Stafford and Philip. Charlie started laughing nervously.

"Oh, hey, Stan! H-h-how are you on this fine d-d-day?" Stanley's glare grew steelier.

"Answer the question, Charlie! Why are you back here hoarding trucks when there are trains to be shunted? Now we have an enormous backlog on our buffers and it's all your fault! Can you do something right for _once in your life_?" Charlie's eyes widened as he looked at the trucks in front of him.

"Henry's train! Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll be on it right away! Come on, you lot! Come on! Come on!" As fast as he could, Charlie banged the screaming trucks together to try and make up for lost time. As Charlie sped past with one of the lines of trucks while Stafford and Philip went to shunt the others away, Stanley looked to the remaining line.

"What was he even doing?" He asked exhaustedly.

"Standup." One of the trucks replied. Stanley looked as if he were about to lose his temper, but quickly regained his composure.

"Of course. Why am I even surprised?" He muttered, deadpan, before buffering up to the line of trucks and pushing it onwards.

* * *

Charlie worked hard for the rest of the day, but, try as they might, he and the other engines couldn't make up the backlog from that morning. Stanley had wasted no time in letting everyone know whose fault said backlog was.

"Thanks, _Charlie._" Diesel sneered as Charlie shunted his wagons into place.

"Utterly disgraceful!" Gordon snorted as he rolled by.

"Disgusting!" James added behind him.

"Despicable." Henry finished, finally leaving the yard with his goods train from that morning. As Charlie stood in embarrassment while the other trains left, he could see Stanley shunting a line of coaches quickly past. The popular engine gave him a condescending glare, causing Charlie's already small confidence to continue to plummet.

* * *

That evening, the Fat Controller came to see the shunting yard engines; he was not pleased at all.

"What on earth happened today? There were delays all over the network because everyone's trains coming out of this yard were late!" Charlie blushed in shame, hoping the Fat Controller wouldn't see him.

"It was all Charlie's fault, sir!" Stanley clearly wasn't going to let that happen. The purple tank engine cringed as the Fat Controller walked towards him with a stern expression.

"Charlie? Is this true?" Charlie chuckled nervously.

"Well, heh-heh…yes, sir."

"And what were you doing, Charlie?" Stanley asked, giving Charlie an exasperated eye roll. The Fat Controller raised an eyebrow as Charlie went even redder.

"…I was doing my standup routine for the trucks, sir. But they were laughing, sir! I've never really had an audience before, sir, and I guess I got a little…excited, sir." The Fat Controller shook his head.

"I know you like jokes, Charlie, but you have a job to do; if telling jokes get in the way of that work, you're going to have to give up the jokes because your work is more important." Stanley smirked.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, sir!" Charlie looked down at his buffers.

"I understand, sir." Stafford and Philip could see Charlie's dejected expression and shared a sympathetic look.

* * *

Later, when most of the engines had gone to sleep, Stafford opened a sleepy eye.

"Psst! Charlie!" He hissed. The sad tank engine opened his eyes.

"What? Do you want to tell me I'm not funny too? Do your worst; I don't even care." Stafford sighed.

"Look, Charlie, I know that comedy is your passion, but you can't tell jokes while you work…" Charlie snorted.

"…which is why, if you want, you can test out your jokes on Philip and I all you want when the work day is done." He raised an eyebrow as he saw Stafford's smile along with an enormous grin from Philip.

"…Really?" Philip beamed.

"Of course! You're our friend! We don't want to see you upset!" Charlie smiled.

"Thanks, you guys, really; it means a lot…do you want to hear a joke?" Stafford chuckled.

"Fire away." Charlie's sadness evaporated as the grin of a showman returned.

"Well, alrighty then! You been to the railway's New Years party? What's crazy about that is that everyone wears the same thing! I rolled through the station while it was happening, and every single one of the guests was wearing _platforms!_" He grinned at the punchline. To his surprise, Stafford and Philip quickly started snickering with laughter before bursting out laughing.

"Platforms, oh, that's a riot!" Stafford chuckled.

"HAHAHA! THEY'RE ALL WEARING THE SAME THING!" Philip guffawed loudly, clearly not getting the joke but laughing nonetheless. As Charlie smiled at his friends, he heard a snort of laughter from the other side of the sheds. He looked over and saw Stanley, his eyes shut, but his lips were curled into a smile and containing his laughter. This made Charlie even happier, and he went to sleep with an enormous smile on his face. The lines of trucks nearby chattered amongst themselves.

"Wasn't that one we heard earlier?"

"Yes, but the delivery was much better this time; that kid's going places…"

**THE END**

* * *

Charlie is a character with a lot of potential, and the Shunting Yard as a location has just as much. Continuing on from the dynamic established in _Quiet in the Shed, _this is the first time we've seen the Stanley/Stafford/Charlie/Philip crew as the focus of an episode, specifically Charlie and Stanley. Charlie's goofball aspiring stand-up comedian persona frequently contrasts with Stanley's concern for keeping the shunting yard running properly, and as a result the two do not really like each other. They're a fun duo and writing these two especially has shown for me that any character can be fun in a story depending on how they're written. Writing the trucks in a different kind of role was fun as well, and I wish the series would use them in a more diverse manner since they can be such versatile characters.

As always, what's next:

\- _No Time for Ryan_

_\- Samson & Bradford_

_\- Marion Marks the Spot_


	16. No Time for Ryan

**NO TIME FOR RYAN**

Ryan is a tank engine who manages the goods work on the Harwick Branch Line. He is a very friendly engine, and can rarely be found without a smile on his face when he sees one of his friends.

"Good morning, Daisy!" Ryan called as Daisy the Diesel Railcar rolled into the Arlesburgh Goods Yard one afternoon. To his surprise, he could see that she had a rather cross expression on her face.

"Is something wrong? You look upset!" Daisy groaned.

"Oh, it's _dreadful, _Ryan! I've been forced to head back and forth with passengers all day long and _now _the Fat Controller wants me to pull a milk van from the dairy on Thomas' Branch Line to Knapford…why do _I _have to do it? I've been working hard all day, and it isn't even on _my _branch line! Besides, pulling a smelly van is bad for my swerves…" Ryan didn't like seeing his friend upset, and he looked at the clock.

"I have a bit of time before my next train…if you want, I could pick it up and you could get some rest here!" Daisy beamed.

"Really? You'd do that for me, Ryan?" Ryan chuckled.

"Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help out every once in a while!" He whistled and started to head out of the yard.

"See you in a little while, Daisy!" Daisy smiled.

"Toodle-loo, Ryan!" As Ryan puffed out of sight, Daisy rolled towards their shed, where Judy and Jerome the Breakdown Cranes were sitting on the outside line. Daisy looked and saw that the cranes looked rather upset with her.

"What?" She asked flatly.

"Shame on you, Daisy! Taking advantage of Ryan like that!" Jerome scolded.

"The Fat Controller told you about the milk van this morning and you know you're perfectly capable of taking it!" Judy added. Daisy rolled her eyes.

"He doesn't mind at all; I'd even say he enjoys it! Besides, it's not like I'm taking him away from his other work! He was sitting around in the yard with nothing to do; poor thing was probably going mad! He _loves _to be helpful. Now, if you two would kindly excuse me, I'm going to take my well-deserved rest." Daisy promptly shut her eyes and started to try and nap. Judy and Jerome shared a glance.

* * *

Ryan arrived at the Dairy, where he could see Daisy's milk van waiting for him. He backed onto the siding to pick it up, but was surprised to hear a whistle and saw Thomas slowly rounding the bend with Annie and Clarabel.

"Oh, hello, Thomas!" He whistled back, but to his surprise saw that Thomas was red in the face and puffing hard. Behind Annie and Clarabel were a line of Troublesome Trucks, cackling loudly and bumping back and forth.

"Biff! Bash! Biff! Bash!" The trucks laughed as they surged forwards. Clarabel groaned loudly.

"Ouch! Stop that, you silly little things!" She cried. Thomas looked up and saw the signal nearby the dairy before braking to a halt nearby Ryan, panting exhaustedly. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" Before Thomas could reply, Annie and Clarabel groaned.

"It's horrible, Ryan!"

"Being forced to work with Troublesome Trucks all day…put your tongue back in your mouth right now, mister!" Clarabel scolded as the truck behind her blew a raspberry. Thomas sighed.

"Percy was ill this morning so I've been taking his trucks as well as my passengers all day; it's a lot to handle." Ryan winced.

"Oh dear…that sounds terrible!"

"It _is!_" Annie replied dramatically. Ryan thought for a moment before smiling.

"Well…maybe _I _could take Percy's trucks?" Thomas smiled.

"Could you, Ryan? It's to the quarry, not that far; that would really take a load off of my buffers!"  
"Now, wait a minute, you two; doesn't Ryan have other work to do?" Clarabel interrupted. Thomas frowned.

"Oh…it's alright, Ryan. I can carry on on my own." Ryan did have work to do, but he didn't like seeing his friend unhappy.

"Actually, Thomas, I'd absolutely be able to help! My next train isn't for a long while; I have plenty of time, and can probably take Percy's trains for the rest of the day if it makes it easier!" Thomas beamed.

"Oh, thank you, Ryan; you're a huge help!" Ryan chuckled.

"Just happy to be a part of the team!"

* * *

While Thomas went on with Annie and Clarabel, Ryan coupled up to his trucks bound for the quarry.

"I'll stop by Knapford first to drop off the van and then be at the quarry in record time! It'll be easy!" He whistled and set off with the trucks, not worried at all.

* * *

He dropped the van off at Knapford and quickly headed off to the quarry with the trucks, arriving as fast as he could.

"Oh, hello, Ryan! Did something happen to Percy? He normally takes that train." Mavis asked curiously as Ryan braked into the quarry with his empty trucks. The purple engine chuckled.

"Percy's fallen ill, so I'm helping Thomas out by taking his trucks instead." The quarry diesel smiled.

"Well, that's very kind of you, Ryan. Just sit tight and I'll have your trucks filled up in a moment; thank you for bringing the empties!" Mavis rolled behind Ryan's train and took his trucks away to be filled up. Ryan sat happily for a moment, pleased to helped out a friend, but his eyes drifted to the clock and he winced.

"Oh dear, I'll be late if I don't get back soon…" He thought for a moment before chuckling.

"It's just some trucks…all I have to do is stay at a fast pace and I won't be late at all!" Mavis blew her horn and rolled alongside with Ryan's trucks.

"Here they are, Ryan!" Ryan smiled and quickly rolled towards the trucks, coupling up to the front cab-first.

"Thank you, Mavis!" He whistled and started puffing hard before struggling up the line, the heavy trucks rattling along behind. Mavis could see Ryan trying to speed up and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, Ryan? Be careful with those trucks now! They're heavy and you might lose control if you try to go too fast!" Ryan couldn't hear, and he continued trying to make up for lost time.

* * *

Ryan continued to speed backwards up the branch line, his heavy trucks rattling along. He was so determined to get back on schedule that he wasn't watching where he was going as he roared through Bluff's Cove…barely missing Oliver as he tried to pull out of the siding with Toad!

"Watch out!" Oliver whistled angrily as Ryan rumbled by. Toad winced as Ryan drew further into the distance.

"Please watch where you're going, Mr. Ryan; you almost hit us!" Ryan cringed.

"Sorry, Oliver! Sorry, Toad! Oh dear, I'm going to be late…" As Ryan and his trucks disappeared into the distance, Oliver snorted.

"He nearly takes my buffers off and what he's worried about is being late…" He muttered crossly.

* * *

Ryan soon approached Harwick station, where he was supposed to drop off the stone. He knew the buffers were approaching faster and faster, and slammed on his brakes. However…

"On! On! On!" The silly trucks giggled before pushing Ryan onwards.

"Oh no!" Ryan cried as he tried desperately to brake. However, he couldn't stop in time, and bashed into the buffers with a loud "BUMP". Luckily, he didn't come off the rails, but his rear buffers were rather sore.

"Ouch…" He groaned.

"What was all that about then?" His eyes drifted to Daisy sitting in the other platform with a raised eyebrow. Ryan chuckled nervously.

"Just got a little…held up at the quarry, that's all!" Daisy's eyes drifted to the clock.

"For a 'little' held up, you sure are late." She remarked. Ryan looked to the clock too and gasped.

"Oh no! I've got to get down to the yard! Sorry, Daisy, have to run!" He whistled and sped off to collect his trucks bound for Knapford. As Ryan disappeared, Daisy's eyes narrowed.

"What is going on with him?" She wondered.

* * *

Ryan sped down the branch line towards Knapford and into the shunting yard. He whistled and braked hard as he entered the yard, panting furiously.

"Sorry I'm late, everybody! Sorry! So sorry!" The trucks surged into his rear buffers and groaned.

"Ouch! Ouch!" Ryan let out a sigh of relief once he had finally stopped. He heard a whistle and saw Stanley rolling alongside.

"Hello, Ryan! How are things on your _branch line_?" He asked, clearly bothered by the last two words, but Ryan didn't seem to notice.

"I'm fine, Stanley, thanks! Are my trucks ready?" Stanley looked to the sidings.

"There they are; you're taking Percy's trucks for the harbour too right? That's what Thomas said; they should be right by your other ones. Good for you for helping out!" Ryan starting chuckling nervously.

"You alright, Ryan?" Stanley asked, raising an eyebrow. Ryan grinned in a manner that was not convincing whatsoever.

"Oh, absolutely fine, Stanley! I'll get my trucks in a moment; thank you for shunting them!" Stanley whistled and continued on his way, looking rather weirded out by his interaction with Ryan.

"They give _him _a branch line…" He muttered under his breath. Ryan, however, was in a panic.

"I have to take Percy's train _and _my own? How am I supposed to take two trains at the same time? Oh, this is what I get for trying to be helpful…good job, _Ryan_…" He muttered. Suddenly, an idea flew into his funnel.

"Wait a minute! I've been going fast all day; all I have to do to get both trains delivered on time is to go twice as fast!" He looked towards his two lines of trucks and rolled towards them.

"Um, excuse me?" He asked as he backed onto one. One of the trucks grunted.

"What do you want?" Ryan chuckled.

"I'm running a little behind schedule and was wondering if you would be willing to give me a push to increase my speed? It would be a huge help, and you would all be really useful! Please?" The trucks grinned.

"Of course, Ryan!"

"Happy to help out, Ryan!"

"Love to be really useful, Ryan!" Ryan beamed as he was coupled to his second line of trucks.

"Great! Thank you so much! Problem solved!" Of course, Ryan always assumed the best in everybody, and didn't really realize that Troublesome Trucks don't care about being useful at all…

"A push he wants?"

"A push he'll get!" The trucks giggled to themselves in their silly way and began to make a plan as Ryan left the yard. Stanley watched Ryan leave and was surprised to hear a whistle and see Percy roll into the yard.

"Percy! Welcome back from the Steamworks! All's well I hope?" He smarmed. Percy chuckled.

"I'm all better now, thank you, Stanley! Are my trucks ready?" Stanley raised an eyebrow.

"Ryan just took them; he said he was pulling your trains today." Percy blinked in surprise.

"Oh. A shame he just missed me then! Could've taken a load off of his buffers."

* * *

Ryan sped along Thomas' Branch Line, trying to get to the harbour as fast as he could. The long train was heavy, and smoke and steam erupted furiously from his funnel as he tried to climb a hill.

"As soon as we pass the 'pin down brakes' sign, push away!" He called back to the trucks, who snickered to each other.

"Oh, we will!" They called back. Red in the face, Ryan struggled over the top of the hill, passed an "ALL TRAINS STOP TO PIN DOWN BRAKES" sign, and immediately felt the weight of the trucks surge against his buffers.

"That's a little bit much, guys…could you, um, back off a bit?" However, he was greeted with cackling and only felt himself begin to go faster and faster.

"Oh no! Help! I can't stop!"

"On! On! On!"

"Bash 'im!"

"Bump 'im!"

"Throw 'im off the rails!" Ryan cried out in horror as he continued to rocket along the line. Up ahead, he could see a sharp bend in the track nearby a field.

"Oh no! Stop! Stop!" He slammed on his brakes, but it did nothing against the screeching trucks. Ryan flew off the bend and into the field, scraping through earth and dirt as the trucks flew into the field behind him. Ryan was covered in mud from smokebox to cab, and, once the dust had finally settled, he groaned in pain. He heard the humming of an engine and looked up to see Terence the Tractor staring at him, dumbfounded.

"Oh, hello! I'm Ryan." Terence raised an eyebrow.

"Terence. What are you doing in my field that I've been ploughing all day, exactly?" Ryan chuckled nervously.

"Just trying to help out?" Terence sighed.

"I'll get help." He rolled away, leaving a rather ashamed Ryan and the cackling Troublesome Trucks behind.

* * *

The Fat Controller was in his office when he got the call.

"Ryan's had an accident? Where on the Harwick Branch is he? I'll be there right away…he's in _Hackenbeck? _What is he doing there?…I'll send a breakdown crew right away!" He slammed the phone down.

* * *

Daisy was resting in the shed with Judy and Jerome nearby when she heard a whistle and saw Percy speeding towards the shed.

"Percy? What's wrong?"

"Ryan's had an accident! I need to take Judy and Jerome right away!" Judy and Jerome's eyes shot open.

"Emergency!"

"Engine off the rails!"

"We're on it!" Daisy gasped.

"Ryan's had an accident? Let me through! We need to check if he's alright!" She honked and sped ahead, leaving Percy to couple up the cranes and follow behind.

* * *

When Daisy, Percy, and the cranes arrived at the scene of the disaster, they could see the Fat Controller speaking to Ryan.

"I appreciate that you were trying to be helpful, Ryan, but you have a timetable that you _must _keep to! Why would you agree to take on Percy's work if it conflicted with your own? You tried to do two jobs at once and succeeded in doing neither of them." Ryan blushed in embarrassment.

"I know, sir. I'm sorry, sir. Thomas just looked so exhausted that I couldn't just leave him!" The Fat Controller sighed.

"Time is a resource, Ryan. As much as we might want to, we can't overextend our resources. You could've told me about how much trouble Thomas was having and I would've sent another engine down right away!" Ryan sighed.

"I know, sir." Percy and the cranes rolled alongside.

"Don't worry, Ryan!" Judy called.

"We'll have you on the rails again as soon as we can!" Jerome added. Ryan looked sadly at his buffers as workmen attached Judy and Jerome's hooks to him.

"Thank you, guys. Percy, I'm sorry I messed up your jobs so badly. I should've been more mindful of my time." Percy smiled.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ryan! I know you had the best intentions." Ryan grinned nervously as he was lifted into the air, but he still felt guilty. As he was lowered onto the rails, Daisy could see the sad expression on her friend's face and made a decision to swallow her pride.

"You take the cranes back to the yard, Percy; I'll take Ryan to the Steamworks." Ryan gasped.

"But, Daisy, your swerves! Isn't pulling bad for them?" Daisy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, bother my swerves; I'm not letting you wallow in your own misery! Come on." Daisy was coupled up to Ryan and began pulling him to the Steamworks.

"You could lose a few pounds…" She muttered as they disappeared up Thomas' Branch Line.

* * *

As Daisy and the mud-covered Ryan rolled along the main line, the purple engine couldn't help but feel silly.

"The Fat Controller's right…I can't believe I ever thought trying to help was a good idea…I've just made a mess of things…" He muttered. Daisy sighed.

"Well, Ryan, the Fat Controller _is _right, but I don't think you should stop helping others; that's the best thing about you! You help me out all the time…thank you for that." Ryan smiled.

"Thanks, Daisy." Daisy chuckled.

"You're welcome, Ryan. However, if you're going to help someone out, just make sure that you have time for it!" Daisy laughed to herself, leaving Ryan to chuckle as the two friends made their way to the Steamworks with all the time in the world.

**THE END**

* * *

As great as the focus on Daisy has been, Ryan has definitely been the more neglected half of the Harwick duo, so I saw fit to give him his own story here. He's a sweet, naive character who loves being a part of the team, and that adds a lot of fun to his interactions. Writing more Daisy and Stanley is always fun, as well as giving Percy an actual role. One of the less "out of the ordinary" episodes from this season, but one I'm happy with nonetheless; The Daisy-Ryan friendship is a fun one to write due to how different the two engines are. Two episodes left now!

What's remaining:

\- _Samson & Bradford_

_\- Marion Marks the Spot_


	17. Samson & Bradford

**SAMSON & BRADFORD**

Of all the combinations of engines and rolling stock, no duo is more strange than Samson the Proud Engine and Bradford, his brake van.

"Hup two three four! Hup two three four! Come on, Samson, on the double! Make haste now, and don't you motley lot dare try any of your tricks!" The militant brake van barked loudly at their goods train.

"We won't, sir! We won't!" The trucks groaned. Samson smirked proudly.

"Good work, Bradford! You've been keeping the trucks in order the whole journey!" Bradford chuckled.

"It's my job, boyo…WHOA-WHOA-WHOA STOP RIGHT NOW!" Samson quickly slammed his brakes on and came to a stop.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked in a frenzy. Bradford, unamused, looked up at the red signal they had just rolled through.

"Another red signal, _Samson_." Samson chuckled nervously as he reversed back towards the junction, Caitlin thundering by on the line in front of him with a passenger train.

"Sorry, Bradford!" Bradford rolled his eyes.

"Nothing out of the ordinary…" Samson raised an eyebrow, but before he could retort, the signal turned green.

"Green signal! Let's get moving, we're losing time! Hup hup hup!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Samson rolled his eyes and continued on towards their destination.

* * *

They were certainly a very strange team, but Samson and Bradford working together managed to make their deliveries…

"Right on time, as always!" Samson grinned as he braked to a stop in a goods yard on the Mainland. His stop wasn't very gentle, and as a result, the trucks bumped into each other and then back into Bradford.

"Ow!" Bradford groaned in pain, before quickly growing angry.

"Watch your stops, boyo!" Samson winced.

"Sorry, Bradford, but we're here! Just as easy as I thought it would be." He boasted. Bradford rolled his eyes.

"Only after _three _Signals Passed at Danger! You need to keep an eye on the track ahead of you, Samson! I can't be holding your buffers on every train!" Samson spluttered.

"You do _not _'hold my buffers'! I could manage perfectly well without you! And I have!" Bradford laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous! Without me, Samson, you wouldn't be able to puff five feet without these cheeky little miscreants throwing you off the rails!" One of the trucks blew a raspberry.

"_Did I give you permission to speak!?_" He barked, causing the truck to quickly fall silent. Samson snorted.

"You're getting too big for your buffers, Bradford!" Bradford smirked.

"Hard to when _your_ buffers are twice your size, boyo; now, take on some water before the rest of our journey! We wouldn't want to run out…again." Samson rolled his eyes and grumbled away to take on water, leaving Bradford behind to stare the trucks down.

"Now, listen here and listen good; I'm going to catch some shuteye, and if any of you wake me up before we are due to depart again, so help me I will MAKE YOU REGRET IT! UNDERSTOOD?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Bradford chuckled confidently to himself and quickly fell asleep. Samson muttered crossly under his breath as he rolled towards the water tower.

"Silly Bradford…I could _absolutely _pull a train without him! What does _he_ know?" Suddenly, he heard loud snoring and saw that Bradford was fast asleep, the trucks trying to keep perfectly still as to not wake him up. This gave Samson an idea, and a wide grin crossed his face.

"All I have to do is show him! I'll take the rest of this train on my own and be perfectly fine! I'll just grab another brake van!" He looked around the sidings before spotting one.

"A-ha!" He grinned and rolled towards it before being coupled up and moving it away.

* * *

Samson moved his new brake van onto another line before a shunter came over and gently uncoupled Bradford from the rest of the train. Samson quietly puffed forwards with the line of trucks before backing them onto the new van. Samson looked at the sleeping Bradford and chuckled.

"Wait until he sees how well I do! He's sure to feel silly!" Samson laughed quietly to himself as he slowly crept out of the yard, before approaching a signal and blasting his whistle loudly as he raced onto the main line. However, as he left the yard, he failed to hear what was happening in the yard behind him.

"Eh? Where are the trucks?…Samson! SAMSON! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Bradford woke up with a start at the sound of Samson's whistle and saw the last few wagons of the train disappearing across the junction.

"YOU'RE MAKING A _BIG_ MISTAKE, SAMSON!" He bellowed; Samson couldn't hear.

* * *

Bradford continued to bellow and bellow, and it quickly annoyed the diesels working in the yard.

"One of you needs to take me to Samson! There's no way he can make it to Sodor without hurting himself!" He called as one of the red and yellow diesel shunters rolled past, but remained ignored.

"Didn't you hear me, soldier!? There's an engine in danger out there and I cannot just be sitting in the yard twiddling my buffers, _do you understand!?_" One of the diesels groaned as he rolled alongside the one that had just passed Bradford.

"How long has that brake van been making a racket now?" The other diesel grunted.

"Twenty minutes straight; he's _insufferable!_" The first diesel rolled his eyes as he heard Bradford shouting again.

"GET ME ON A TRAIN FOR SODOR THIS INSTANT! I NEED TO GET TO MY ENGINE!" He saw the other, more-lethargic looking diesel, and smirked.

"Well, _you've _got to get rid of him; good luck!" Before his associate could retort, the diesel sped away. The tired diesel shunter groaned as he looked back towards the barking brake van before hearing a deep whistle.

"Hello, my friends! Just passing through; carry on with what you were doing, don't mind me!" Hiro the Wise Goods Engine greeted politely as he rolled into the goods yard, pulling a long goods train behind him. As he braked to a halt, a loud screeching started echoing through the yard. Hiro gasped as he winced at the high noise.

"Oh, what is that?" He finally managed to brake to a halt. Bradford, of course, smelt it first.

"Something's burning! What's that smell? Look vigilant! There could be a _fire!_" Hiro looked down as his guard walked towards the front of the train.

"Sorry, Hiro, my old van's run a hot box; we'll need a new one before we can carry on." The diesel raised an eyebrow, and then looked to Bradford, still barking orders to his unamused fellow shunters. He smirked.

"Hmm…"

* * *

"Unhand me! What are you doing with me? I need to go to Sodor! GET YOUR DIRTY BUFFERS OFF OF ME!" Bradford shouted as the diesel shunted him onto the back of Hiro's train. The diesel smirked to himself as he reversed away. Bradford growled as he looked towards the trucks, who gasped in horror.

"It's Bradford!"

"That brake van that yells at trucks!"

"He's scary!"

"And mean!"

"Are you alright? You seem awfully…agitated." Hiro asked, concerned at Bradford's expression but not hearing the trucks. The brake van looked at Hiro, remaining stoic and "on duty".

"I have a mission! A mission to keep one tank engine from throwing himself off the rails! Unless you're going to Sodor, you taking me will prevent me from completing that mission! Now, leave me!" Hiro smiled.

"You're _Samson's_ brake van, aren't you?…Bradford?" Bradford's eyes narrowed.

"Who do you work for?" He asked suspiciously. Hiro laughed.

"Sir Topham Hatt! You're bound for Sodor anyway! Did Samson leave you behind?" Bradford snorted.

"You could say that…"

"Don't worry then! You'll be back with Samson before you know it!" A smile slowly broke out across the brake van's face.

"Ah, that's a relief." Hiro smiled to himself, but his serenity was quickly interrupted.

"Right, you horrible lot! I won't tolerate you giving this engine any trouble for the duration of our journey, and I _especially _won't tolerate you creating any trouble for _me, _you hear me? You _will _address me as 's-"

"Bradford! What are you doing?" Hiro called back, stopping Bradford from shouting at his rather frightened-looking trucks. The brake van raised an eyebrow.

"Putting these malefactors in their place; it's what I do before every journey!" Hiro heard the guard's whistle blow and started to set off.

"Well, you don't need to do it today; trucks don't give me any trouble at all! You can look forward to a nice, smooth journey; right, trucks?"

"Yes, Hiro!" The trucks replied cheerfully. As Bradford rolled out of the goods yard, he looked confused and slightly disappointed.

"Oh…"

* * *

The Vicarstown Bridge lowered and Samson triumphantly puffed over, dragging his Troublesome Trucks behind him.

"Haha! What did I tell him? I've managed _perfectly fine_ without him! On Sodor now and nothing has gone wrong!" Suddenly, he felt himself begin to increase speed and heard the cackling of the Troublesome Trucks before giving them a sharp bump.

"Ouch!"

"No tricks with me! I'll give you all another bump if you try anything funny!" Samson scolded, before looking rather proud of himself.

"Don't need Bradford!" He chortled. The trucks grumbled furiously to themselves.

"He's been bumping us the whole way!"

"He bumped us when we were going over a hill! That's just how _gravity_ works!"

"He bumped us when I sneezed!"

"Gesundheit!"

"OW!" The trucks groaned as Samson bumped into them again.

"He's a very rough engine…"

"…maybe we should teach him a lesson!" The trucks giggled to themselves as Samson approached Vicarstown, and began to make a plan.

* * *

Harvey was loading some crates onto a truck in the Vicarstown Goods Yard when he heard Samson's whistle and saw the proud engine pulling in with a line of Troublesome Trucks rattling behind him.

"Afternoon, Harvey!" Samson braked to a jerky stop, causing his trucks to bump together.

"Not again!" One groaned.

"Hello, Samson. How have ye been?" Harvey asked politely, but eyeing the trucks suspiciously. Samson chuckled.

"I've been splendid, thank you, Harvey! Just an easy day pulling trucks!" The trucks rolled their eyes and collectively groaned.

"Easy?"

"Not for our poor frames!"

"Or buffers!" Samson chuckled and coughed loudly to cover up the trucks' complaints.

"All's well here!" He grinned. Harvey raised an eyebrow.

"Is Bradford with ye, Samson? He's quieter than usual today; I can normally hear him shouting the moment he's over the bridge!" He chuckled, but Samson frowned and Harvey quickly stopped laughing.

"Sorry." He apologized quickly. Samson snorted.

"Why does everyone assume I need to be with Bradford all the time?"

"So ye can manage trucks, Samson."

"I _can _manage trucks! On my own, too! I did the whole way here! Ha!" Harvey could see wicked smirks crossing the trucks' faces and winced.

"Um, Samson, the thing aboot that is that, erm, yer trucks look a wee bit…angry?" Samson could hear Rosie's whistle as she reversed his brake van out of the way and added more trucks to his train. Harvey cringed at the long line building up.

"I could be yer back engine if ye want, Samson." He offered.

"Please, Harvey, I can manage on my own! I don't need you, and I. Don't. Need. Bradford!" The guard's whistle blew and Samson puffed out of the yard with his long, heavy train, leaving a nervous-looking Harvey behind.

* * *

"Approaching Sodor, Bradford! You'll be reunited with Samson soon!" Hiro called to the back of the train as he crossed the Vicarstown Bridge. However, as Bradford rolled along the line, he wasn't very happy. He simply awkwardly looked down at the sleepers.

"Forty five, forty six, forty seven, forty eight-oh, blast it all! I lost count again!" His eyes drifted back up to watch the scenery disappearing behind him before he harrumphed.

"This is so…_boring! _I've been sitting around on the back of this train with nothing to see or do for _ages_!" Hiro heard Bradford's complaining and chuckled.

"Well, we only left the yard half an hour ago, Bradford! Besides, you'll be working with Samson again soon and you'll have the most Troublesome Trucks on the island to work with…although I'm not sure why you would want that." Bradford simply grumbled as the train began to slowly roll to a stop at a signal.

"Hmph." Suddenly, as Hiro and Bradford waited, the brake van was surprised to see a line of cackling trucks rolling quickly by.

"WHERE IS YOUR ENGINE, SOLDIERS?" Bradford shouted, but the only reply he received was a raspberry. Suddenly, he heard a familiar whistle and Rosie rushed by before whistling at a signalbox to change the points and getting in front of the trucks before gently braking them to a stop.

"Sorry, Hiro! These silly trucks tried to run away; come on, you lot, you have a train to be put on!" As Rosie started reversing the trucks back towards the station, Hiro chuckled.

"Well, thank you for catching them, Rosie! Would've certainly been a bigger mess if they had been sent rolling down the main line." Rosie smiled.

"Yes, indeed. Now, come on, you!" She rolled along with the trucks. Once Rosie was out of the way, Hiro's signal dropped and he and Bradford started off again. However, a plan had begun to form in Bradford's mind when he thought about the trucks running away.

"Hmm…oh, yes, it's _perfect_." He chuckled quietly to himself before looking back towards the trucks.

"Psst! Fellow troublemakers!" He hissed in the least natural way possible. The dumbfounded trucks shared confused glances.

"Are you a cop?" One asked suspiciously. Bradford snorted, annoyed.

"No! Look, I have a…_proposition_ for you all. In the second half of our journey, we will be approaching the incline known as Gordon's Hill. When Hiro crests the top, I want you all to push him down the other side, fast as you can!" The trucks giggled in response to this, but were startled when Bradford spoke again.

"_On my command, _maggots! And, once we're going, I am going to gently bring the train to a slower and safer pace. No danger at all, just a bit of fun! You get a bit of a runaway, I get to stop a train and finally get some excitement! What do you say?" The trucks thought for a moment.

"Deal!" They chorused before Bradford hastily shushed them. Hiro raised an eyebrow.

"Is something going on back there?" Bradford chuckled.

"No, nothing at all! Nothing at all…" He grinned to himself about his clever plan. The trucks were grinning too, albeit for an entirely different reason.

"He wants to stop us?" They began to giggle as the station came into view.

"Let him try!"

* * *

Samson had reached Gordon's Hill, and was climbing furiously, pistons pumping loudly.

"Come on! Come on!" He strained. The Troublesome Trucks giggled.

"Hold back! Hold back!" Samson groaned as his wheels spun, but the trucks just wouldn't allow him to climb the hill. Finally, he felt himself get slowly dragged down to the bottom for the umpteenth time.

"Will you all _stop!?_" He shouted, but the trucks only continued to laugh. He looked up at the steep hill and took a deep breath.

"Right! This is the last straw! This time I'm going to make it, and you silly trucks won't stop me!" Samson whistled loudly and charged the hill once more, this time beginning to climb. With every grunt and wheel-turn, he began to slowly get higher and higher, and soon he could see the top of the hill.

"I'm doing it! I'm doing it! One in the headlamp for old Bradf-fooooooord!" Samson suddenly felt the trucks surge against his rear buffers and he began to rapidly pick up speed as he sailed down the other side of the hill. The trucks cackled.

"On! On! On!"

"NO! STOP! HELP!" Samson wailed as his train roared past a signalbox. The signalman saw how fast Samson was going and immediately switched the points. Wellsworth station quickly came into view and Samson gasped as he felt his train curving into the sidings. He saw the buffers ahead and laughed in relief.

"The buffers! Those'll stop me!" They didn't. Samson burst through the buffers and quickly fell onto his side as the screaming trucks pushed him onwards. Ballast flew everywhere as Samson found himself lying on his side, surrounded by cackling Troublesome Trucks.

"Samson! Are you alright?" Samson looked up and saw a rather startled Edward near the station. He chuckled sheepishly.

"I'm fine! Just a little dented, that's all!" He coughed in pain. Edward winced.

"Where's Bradford? I don't see him." He scanned the scene of the accident as Samson snorted.

"Bradford's not here! Why does everyone assume I need Bradford around all the time?"

"So things like this won't happen." Samson blushed at Edward's retort. The blue engine sighed and rolled away.

"Don't worry, I'll get help." He whistled and sped away down his branch line. Samson looked miserably at the ground.

"Oh, Edward's right…this _wouldn't _have happened with Bradford."

* * *

Hiro was now approaching Gordon's Hill, and Bradford was getting ready to play his trick.

"Alright, as soon as we're over the top, give Hiro a push and then ease off. I'll bring us back down to the speed limit, and we'll make the remainder of our journey at a safe pace. Alpha team, are you ready to go?" He hissed to the front of the train.

"We're ready!"

"Bravo team?"

"We're ready!"

"Epsilon team?"

"We're ready!" Bradford grinned to himself as Hiro crested over the top of the hill.

"Now!" The trucks surged forwards into Hiro. The big engine gasped.

"What? What's happening?" The trucks giggled, fully unleashed.

"On! On! On!" They laughed. Bradford, however, remained confident.

"Don't worry, Hiro! I'll slow us down again!" He screwed his brakes hard on, but to his surprise, the train didn't slow down at all; the trucks were too heavy!

"Ease up, you lot! We do have to slow down!" He hissed to the trucks, but they just laughed at him.

"Make us!" They cackled as Hiro roared past a signalbox again. Bradford, used to thinking in the moment, shouted at the signalbox as his guard screwed on the brake.

"Direct us into the sidings!" The signalman, worse for wear after Samson's accident, shot awake and leaned on the switch, not realizing that Samson's accident still hadn't been cleared! Hiro braked hard as he saw Wellsworth and gasped at Samson and the overturned trucks in the sidings.

"Stop! Stop!" He couldn't, and Hiro and his train plowed into Samson's trucks. Samson shut his eyes tight as more trucks surrounded him. Hiro plummeted onto his side as his trucks sped past, bumping into Samson's and creating an even bigger mess. Bradford's guard leapt clear and the brake van slid through the ballast before falling onto his side right next to Samson. Once the dust had cleared, the engine and brake van saw each other.

"Samson?"

"Bradford! Are you alright?" At that moment, they heard Edward's whistle and he puffed into the station coupled to Rocky with the Search and Rescue team behind him. He blinked for a moment at the far worse accident than he had left.

"Well, _that's_ where Bradford went." He remarked.

* * *

The Search and Rescue team made quick work of the mess, and soon Bradford found himself lifted into the air by Rocky before being placed down onto the rails behind Samson. The Fat Controller spoke to Harvey, who had come to clear the mess.

"Take these two to the Steamworks, Harvey; I'll talk to them when they're less rattled."

"Yes, sir!" Harvey whistled and backed onto Samson before rolling away with the two in tow. Samson and Bradford sat in silence for a moment before…

"Oh, I'm so sorry for leaving you behind, Bradford. I shouldn't have been so overconfident; I _do_ need you, otherwise I end up off the rails or lost or-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, boyo. I need you as much as you need me." Samson raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Bradford sighed.

"You need me to help you pull trains, I need you to have a purpose. Traveling with that Hiro engine was a nightmare because his trucks were so well-behaved…well, up until the end anyway. No engine makes me feel more useful than you, Samson." Samson smiled.

"Aw, Bradford." The brake van chuckled.

"From this day forth, boyo, I don't think we should ever separate again; we're a team."

"Deal." As Harvey puffed along the line and the two friends made up, they passed Thomas with Annie and Clarabel.

"Thomas, look! It's Harvey! He's with Samson and Bradford!" Clarabel called.

"Has there been an accident?" Annie asked. Thomas looked to Harvey.

"What happened to them?" He asked as he rolled slowly by. Harvey chuckled.

"Samson and Bradford were apart for the day, but I think from now on, they're going to stick together!" Thomas raised an eyebrow at Samson and Bradford happily chatting.

"What a strange pair." He muttered to himself. Harvey raised an eyebrow as Thomas rolled out of sight, before looking back towards his best friend and his brake van.

"Very strange indeed." Samson and Bradford wouldn't have it any other way.

**THE END**

* * *

The penultimate episode of the season! Although Bradford is Samson's brake van, we didn't really have an episode about their relationship before Season 22, so I thought it worthwhile to explore the character separately as well as together. Samson (as I've been very public about) is one of my favorite characters, and Bradford's debut episode is one of the best episodes of the CGI series in my opinion, so writing them together was a blast. Giving roles to more neglected characters like Hiro and the Mainland shunters was a lot of fun too, as were writing the trucks. I'm very proud of this episode, and hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it!

The final episode of the season is:

\- _Marion Marks the Spot_

And perhaps after that you'll hear some news about Set 3...but that's another story.


	18. Marion Marks the Spot

**MARION MARKS THE SPOT**

One day, Bill and Ben, the cheeky tank engine twins, were at the Clay Pits preparing to take their trains.

"Come on, Bill! We're going to be late if you don't hurry up!" Ben called to Bill as he waited with his train of loaded trucks.

"I can't leave yet if my train isn't full, _Ben_; besides, we're ahead of schedule already, so cool your boiler!" Bill retorted, before gasping in surprise as he felt a low rumbling from one of his trucks. He angrily looked back.

"Give me a warning next time, Marion!" He shouted. Ben smirked.

"Scared of a few rocks, Bill?" He teased. Bill fumed.

"At least I'm not scared of tunnels!" He retorted.

"That was _one_ time! Besides, I didn't know what was in there; completely unknown! You would have felt the same…" Ben replied.

"Oh, I don't know, I think the unknown can be rather exciting! I look at every journey as an adventure; look at you two now! Charging off on a grand expedition with intrigue at every corner!" Bill and Ben looked towards the back of Bill's train, where Marion the Steam Shovel was loading his trucks on an outside line with an enormous grin on her face. Ben raised an eyebrow.

"We're only going to the Docks, Marion; would hardly call that 'exciting'." He replied. Marion chuckled.

"Oh, I know. I just love _adventure: _facing the unknown head-on, finding something no one has ever seen before…all of it!" She dropped some clay in Bill's last truck, and the tank engine grinned.

"Finished! Race you there!" He called and whistled before speeding away. Marion gasped as she quickly swung her arm out of the way of Bill's brakevan.

"Bill!" Ben gasped as Bill sped by.

"No fair! See you, Marion." Ben whistled and quickly followed after Bill, leaving Marion behind to watch the twins go.

"Those two are awfully silly…oh well, back to digging!" Marion excitedly went back to digging and loading trucks.

* * *

Bill and Ben raced side by side the whole way to the Docks, and were approaching fast, neck-and-neck. Bill grinned as his pistons pounded the rails.

"I'm going to win!" He taunted as he crept ahead. Ben tried to go faster.

"No, _I_ am!" They rounded the bend to approach the Docks, and Bill managed to speed ahead at the last second before blitzing under the Sodor Shipping Company office and triumphantly braking to a stop, whistling loudly.

"I did it! I won!" He taunted in a sing-song voice as Ben braked alongside.

"Yeah, well…I let you win!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!"

"Ahoy, mateys!" Bill and Ben stopped their arguing to see Salty across the way, parked next to Porter.

"Hi, Salty." The twins greeted.

"I'm about to tell Carly here her first Salty story; care to hear about the treasure of the Golden Neptune?" Bill and Ben looked up at Carly the Crane, who looked as if she were about to burst at the seams with joy.

"I'm so excited! I finally get to hear one of Salty's stories!" She cheered. Big Mickey smiled, but Cranky simply rolled his eyes.

"You weren't missing much…" He muttered. Bill and Ben grinned.

"Yes, Salty!"

"Yes _please_, Salty!" Bill glared at Ben correcting him, but Salty laughed.

"Alright then, mateys…" His expression immediately became serious.

"_Ol' Captain Kurt sailed by the light of the moon_

_ He pillaged and plunderéd every doubloon_

_ His gold and jewels put the heat on his crew_

_ But that scurvy old captain knew just what to do._" He spoke the poem ominously. Carly gasped delightedly, and even Bill and Ben looked raptured. The only one uninterested was Cranky, who rolled his eyes as Salty continued in the dramatic voice.

"_He found the beaches of Brendam to be of good worth,_

_ Put his loot in a chest, buried it in the earth_

_ A marker was left; two crossed swords in the ground_

_ Find the blades and the Golden Neptune's treasure you've found._" Bill and Ben shared an intrigued glance.

"What _is _the Golden Neptune, Salty?" Salty grinned.

"The Golden Neptune is a pirate ship. Long before rails and engines were even thought of, the captain of the ship sailed onto our shores to bury his treasure to prevent rivals from stealing it. He marked his treasure with two lines in the sand; an 'X'."

"X marks the spot!" Carly interrupted, before blushing.

"Sorry, I'll be quiet!" Salty chuckled, still in his ominous sailor character.

"That's right, Carly. Legend has it that the treasure is buried somewhere nearby the Clay Pits, where Bill and Ben work, but-" Bill and Ben gasped.

"There's _treasure!?_" Bill squeaked.

"Treasure buried near the _clay pits_!?" Ben squawked, and the twins began uncontrollably grinning.

"Let me finish." Salty interrupted, before going right back into character.

"Many have tried to look for the treasure and failed; it's been lost to time…" He finished his story. Carly beamed.

"Oh, great story, Salty! Thanks for telling it!" Salty smiled.

"You're welcome, Carly." He looked to Bill and Ben, who looked rather disappointed.

"How _boring_ is that?" Ben lamented.

"There's supposed to be treasure near the Clay Pits, but no one's found it; it's probably not even there!" Bill snorted. Salty laughed.

"You two can believe just as much of my stories as you want, but just because no one's found the treasure doesn't mean it isn't there." He honked his horn and headed away to do more shunting, leaving Porter with Bill and Ben.

"Bill, Ben, you can leave your loads here; the ship is leaving at 4:00 so you need to have the entire order here by then. Make sure to tell Marion and Timothy!" Ben rolled his eyes.

"We have plenty of time, Porter! You'll have the clay soon enough, no need to get in a tizzy about it!" Porter rolled his eyes.

"Just trying to help." He whistled and rolled away. Ben looked to Bill, who looked deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about, Bill?" Bill grinned.

"If there _was _treasure in the clay pits…how great would it be if _we _found it?" Ben smirked.

"You're a genius. Marion loves that sort of thing; she'd totally help us!" Bill laughed.

"We're going to find _treasure_! We'll be _heroes!_" The twins laughed triumphantly before scampering away back to the clay pits.

* * *

Bill and Ben chattered about the treasure the whole way back to the Clay Pits, and were still chattering when they rolled in to collect their next load.

"Marion! Marion!" They called as they sped in. Marion, who was loading some trucks, raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" She asked. The twins grinned excitedly.

"There's pirate treasure in the clay pits!" Ben cheered. Marion gasped.

"Really? Is it_ buried_? In the _dirt_?" A smile slowly began to creep onto her face as well.

"Yeah! Salty told us about it! The 'treasure of the Golden Neptune'! We _have _to find it!" Bill added. The steam shovel beamed.

"Absolutely! We have no time to lose! Come on, you two! Treasure awaits! We'll dig it up in no time at all!" Bill, Ben, and Marion began to roll towards the rest of the clay pits to search for the treasure, but were interrupted by a whistle.

"Wait! Where are you all going?" Bill raised an eyebrow at the little blue oil-burning engine blocking their line.

"To find treasure, _obviously_, Timothy." Timothy frowned.

"Not while there's work to do! We have a big order due out later today and we all need to be working as hard as we can; you can't simply go off treasure-hunting whenever you please!" Bill and Ben rolled their eyes.

"Whatever."

"No fun at all, as usual. Come on, Marion!" Bill and Ben started to scamper away, but Marion could see that Timothy was giving her an expectant look and quickly cleared her throat.

"No, you two, Timothy is right. There's work to do! Important work!" She appeared to have trouble convincing herself, but she doubled down on her seriousness.

"Go and fetch more empty trucks for me to load up, please." Bill and Ben gave each other a look before rolling their eyes.

"Fine."

"Way to ruin our fun, _Timothy._" The twins scampered away, leaving Timothy to give Marion an exhausted look. She smiled.

"Your trucks are in the sidings, Timothy." Timothy smiled back.

"Thanks, Marion!" He whistled and headed away to collect them. As Marion returned to digging, she couldn't help but think about what Bill and Ben had said.

"Buried treasure…it'd be wonderful if I found _more _buried treasure! I'd be a real _archaeologist_, digging up ruins of the past…oh yes…" She fantasized, grinning from buffer to buffer.

* * *

Bill and Ben had gone to fetch the empty trucks, and were still in a foul mood about Timothy.

"That Timothy! What a spoilsport!" Bill complained as he banged the trucks into a line. Ben snorted.

"Yeah, especially after Marion seemed so excited! Besides, we have _hours _before the order needs to be at the docks; plenty of time to dig up treasure!" He bumped into the trucks, causing them to roll forwards. Bill rolled his eyes.

"Or at least something more exciting than just _clay…_" He grumbled. Ben murmured in agreement, but the two heard a whistle and saw Timothy leaving the clay pits with his full train in tow.

"See you later, Marion! Keep the twins in order and everything on track for me!" He called.

"Will do!" Marion's voice called back. Suddenly, a thoughtful smirk crossed Ben's face.

"Marion _did _seem very excited, didn't she?" He muttered. Bill was at first confused, but instantly caught on.

"Oh yes! I'm sure she just needs a little more…"

"…convincing!" The twins finished together before mischievously smirking and puffing towards Marion with their empty trucks. As they rolled alongside, they could see Marion still digging away.

"Archaeologist Marion searches every crack, every abnormality, to try and find some indication of the treasure lurking beneath the walls of clay-""Hey, Marion!"

"GAH!" Marion promptly dropped the rocks she had been holding in her shovel on the ground, startled. Bill and Ben shared a look before smiling.

"We think you'd be a huge help to us in finding the treasure, Marion!"

"After all, you have found treasure before."

"Exactly! You know more about digging up treasure than anyone we know!" Marion couldn't help breaking into a smile.

"Thank you, you two, but there's clay to shift! And dig! Dig! Dig! Dig!" She quickly returned to work, trying to distract herself. Bill and Ben smirked.

"Marion, we want to find the pirate treasure-"

"But only if we make _you _our pirate _captain! _What do you say?" Marion paused, as her eyes began to widen. As much as she tried to force herself not to, she began grinning like a loon and looked back to Bill and Ben excitedly.

"Oh…I don't suppose looking for treasure for a little while could do us any harm…but only if we get right back to work afterwards!"

"Yeah, yeah, of course, Marion."

"Now, come on, let's go! We have treasure to find!" Marion swung her arm in front of Bill and Ben's tracks, causing the two to brake suddenly. Bill looked cross.

"What was that for?" Marion chuckled.

"Most of the quarry's been dug out; why don't we start near the top? If there's anything that was buried there before, it's bound to be up there! Come on, me scurvy crew!" She put on a pirate voice before Bill and Ben grinned.

"Aye aye, captain!" The twins chorused, and charged towards the upper part of the quarry, Marion following behind.

"Search everywhere! We'll find that treasure! ONWARDS!" None of the three had noticed the partially filled trucks Marion had left by the line…as well as the empties that remained in the sidings.

* * *

Timothy arrived at the docks with his full trucks and left them by the cranes. He saw Porter shunting trucks nearby.

"Hello, Porter." He called, and Porter braked to a halt, smiling.

"Timothy! Wonderful to have you down here; a nice change from the twins causing trouble!" Timothy laughed.

"They work hard, but you do always have to nudge them in the right direction to get them to do what you want. They came back to the pits from here talking about finding buried treasure…seems silly to me." Porter's expression became more serious as Timothy laughed.

"Very silly indeed. You should make sure they're staying on task; you only have a few hours!" Timothy looked up at the clock and saw that it was two o'clock. He chuckled nervously.

"Marion's keeping an eye on them; we'll have the whole order here on time!" Porter whistled and continued on as Timothy began showing his nerves.

"I should remind them of the deadline…I hope they're doing all the work they're supposed to…"

* * *

They weren't.

"Alright, first mates Bill and Ben! Give your captain more trucks! We'll dig up the Golden Neptune's treasure in no time!" Marion announced jovially as she took another scoop of dirt from the mountain where she was digging, while Bill and Ben pushed a line of trucks alongside her on the other line. The twins shared a grin.

"Aye aye, captain Marion!" They called before laughing.

"This is so much more fun than pulling trucks back and forth all day!" Ben grinned at his twin.

"Timothy doesn't know what he's missing!" Bill replied. As they moved another truck forward, Marion sang happily to herself.

"_I love digging! I love treasure! For my love of both, there is no measure_!" She dumped more rock into the twins' trucks. Bill laughed.

"This is much more fun than filling trucks and shunting trains, eh, Marion?" Ben bumped his twin as Marion's happy expression vanished.

"Bill!" He hissed. Marion gasped.

"We still need to shunt the trains for the order! Oh dear, I hope there's still time!"

"Relax, Marion! We have _plenty_! Besides, we're so close to finding the treasure that giving up now makes no sense at all." Ben soothed, smirking. Marion relaxed.

"Oh, I suppose you're right…BACK TO TREASURE!" She returned to digging. Ben glared at Bill.

"Way to almost spoil our fun, _Bill._" Bill rolled his eyes, and they continued their quest for treasure.

* * *

Timothy returned to the Clay Pits soon enough, but was shocked to find…

"There are no more trains ready?" He looked around at the trucks, not appearing to have moved since he left to begin with.

"Marion! Bill! Ben! Where is everyone?" He called but received no reply; the other engines were nowhere in sight. As he moved along, he saw that not a single truck had been filled with clay.

"Why are these trucks empty?" He started to panic and scanned the Clay Pits for any sign of the other engines. Finally, he spotted a cloud of steam coming from the upper part of the clay pits.

"What are they doing up there?" He wondered and quickly puffed up to try and get their attention.

* * *

Marion was still digging in the mountainside, Bill and Ben waiting expectantly alongside her with almost filled trucks.

"Found anything yet, Marion?" Ben called as he and Bill waited with anticipation. Marion dug another bucketful of dirt and shook her shovel back and forth, but heard nothing.

"Nothing yet, but get me more trucks! We'll find that treasure or bust!" Bill and Ben grinned before reversing down the hill with their line of trucks in front, but they promptly heard a whistle.

"Stop!" Bill and Ben slammed on the brakes and their trucks bumped together. The twins looked back to see an angry-looking Timothy staring at them.

"Out of the way, Timothy!"

"We're busy!"

"What you two should be busy with is the clay order; we don't have much time and there are _no more trains_ waiting to be taken to the docks! What have you two been doing? Where's Marion?" Before the twins could reply, they heard a "clunk" and an excited voice from up the hill.

"Bill! Ben! I _found something!_" Marion called. Timothy raised an eyebrow at the twins, who grinned sheepishly before the oil-burner made his way up the hill alongside Marion.

"What are you doing, Marion?" He asked. Marion grinned.

"Looking for the buried treasure of the Golden Neptune, Timothy!" Timothy looked utterly dumbfounded.

"Instead of loading clay trucks! We have hardly an hour left, Marion; the shipment could be late!" Marion gasped.

"The shipment! Oh dear, I must have lost track of time!" She promptly dropped the load of dirt she had in her shovel alongside the line before starting to try to reverse.

"Bill! Ben! Put those trucks away right now, we have trains to prepare! The order can't be late!" Timothy gasped as he saw Marion heading towards him and quickly reversed away, trying to avoid Marion. Bill and Ben reversed down on the other line after them.

"Right, Marion!"

"Coming, Marion!" No one noticed a small golden glimmer shine from within the small pile of dirt that had fallen out of Marion's shovel…

* * *

The clay pits quartet quickly went into overdrive. Bill, Ben, and Timothy ran back and forth from the Docks as fast as they could with loaded trains of clay. Bill sped around the bend into the Docks and gasped as he saw a large pile of crates being lifted right across his line. He slammed on the brakes and came to a stop as the crates moved out of the way.

"Watch it, _Big Mickey_! Important delivery coming through!" Bill rolled forwards with his clay trucks again, leaving Big Mickey to raise an eyebrow as he sped towards where Cranky and Carly were starting to load up the ship.

"Mmm." He grunted.

* * *

While the three engines dashed back and forth between the docks and clay pits, Marion ran from truck to truck all over the Clay Pits and filling them as fast as she could.

"Dig! Dig! Dig! Dig!" She recited frantically as she quickly dug up rocks and placed them into trucks.

"Oh, I've been so silly…no time for that now! Digging! Digging!" She loaded the final truck on a train and quickly wound up and whacked the brake van with her shovel, sending the train flying down the line towards Timothy. The oil-burning engine gasped with surprise as the train bumped against his buffers.

"_That's_ a new one." He muttered before whistling and speeding away.

* * *

"Come on! Come on! It's almost 4:00!" Ben rushed Bill as the two moved a train of clay along the line together, the former at the back and the latter at the front. Bill whistled as they rolled into the docks, panting frantically.

"We're here! Don't leave without the clay!" He called. Cranky rolled his eyes as the train came to a stop alongside him.

"Really pushing it with the time here, you two." The twins didn't care; they had gotten all the clay delivered on time and laughed triumphantly.

* * *

They weren't laughing when they got back to the Clay Pits and found an ashamed-looking Marion and a stern-looking Timothy staring them down.

"Uh oh." The twins shared a look as Timothy rolled forwards.

"Bill and Ben, you two can't just go off doing whatever you want when there's work to be done! You two could've cost us on a very big order today with your silliness, and you roped poor Marion into it too!"

"Actually, Timothy. It's my fault." Marion spoke up. Bill, Ben, and Timothy all gave her a look.

"It's really not." Timothy replied dully.

"Yeah, I think it's pretty obvious this one's on us." Ben added, before Bill gave him a glare.

"What? I know when to fold 'em." He added, causing Bill to pout. Marion sighed.

"No, I shouldn't have gotten distracted; I need to set a good example for you two and as much as I love the idea of digging up the 'treasure of the Golden Neptune', I shouldn't have gotten sidetracked from important work." Bill and Ben looked at Marion before total guilt washed over their faces.

"We're sorry too, Marion." Bill replied, looking down at his buffers.

"Yeah, we shouldn't have kept lying to you about the time; we were just having fun." Ben added, before a thought crossed his mind.

"Say, didn't you say you found something, Marion? When you were digging?" Marion gasped.

"That's right! Come on, we have to see what it is!" Marion quickly dashed away, leaving Bill, Ben, and a curious Timothy to follow. They soon reached the spot, and Marion looked down at the pile of dirt she had left beside the line. Quickly, the engines' crews went down and started sifting through the dirt, before they uncovered something that made Marion gasp.

"_I found something!_" She laughed happily.

* * *

"What is it, Sir?" Thomas, who had brought the Fat Controller, asked as he inspected the brass plate Marion had dug up. The Fat Controller held the plate in his hands before blowing the dust of it and reading the words.

"'Peckett and Sons, Atlas Engine Works, Bristol'…Marion, do you know what this is?" Marion, who was looking down at the Fat Controller raised an eyebrow.

"I don't, sir." The Fat Controller was about to reply when he heard a whistle and saw Stephen rolling into the Clay Pits with Sir Robert Norramby, the Earl of Sodor, on board.

"That looks like a builder's plate to me! Some engines have a plate that says where and by what company they were built." The "Rocket" explained as he rolled alongside. The Earl stepped down from his cab and walked alongside the Fat Controller as he spoke.

"It must be a builder's plate from one of the engines who worked here before even Bill and Ben! Many of them don't exist on a historical record, so you have uncovered a page of the railway's history!" Marion gasped.

"It's _extraordinary_! It might be even better than pirate treasure!" The Earl grinned.

"It shall make a splendid addition to my railway museum, where you can come up and see it at any time. I'll make sure that every attendant will know that this was _your_ discovery, Marion." Marion beamed.

"Oh, yes, sir, and I'd be happy to find more things too! I can never resist the call of adventure!"

"Provided you get all your work done first." Timothy reminded her. Marion blushed.

"Oh, yes, of course." Timothy laughed, and soon enough everyone had joined in; everyone except a nearby Bill and Ben, that is.

"It was _our_ idea to look for the treasure…" Bill huffed.

"We deserve thanks too!" Ben called, but no one could hear them over the laughter so the twins just sulked.

**THE END**

* * *

Here we come to the end of Season 21 Redux! I have really enjoyed writing this project and hopefully it has given you the feeling that at least one version of Season 21 is complete in a meaningful way. I hope you all read Set 3 of _Thomas Friends: Original Episodes, _my main series of stories, as well as my future projects beyond that (I have a lot planned). This story in particular was a blast to write, as Bill, Ben, and Marion are such fun, chaotic characters with a really effective straight man in Timothy, who tries to keep things on track no matter how much chaos the twins cause. I've always found the contrast between Marion's general personality and the way she treats Bill and Ben very fascinating, and this story came into being as a means to show the two in conflict, as I'm sure they would be. Getting to reference the Earl's Railway Museum at the end was a ton of fun, as I have plans for it to appear in larger roles in the future.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to read and enjoy my stories! Leave a review to tell me what you thought of both the individual episodes and this restructuring of S21 generally and, to aid that, I am going to leave you with the order you can experience this project in properly to combine it with the canon Season 21 (the asterisks mean the actual episode):

1\. _Springtime for Diesel*_

2\. _A Most Singular Engine_

3\. _The Big Freeze_

4\. _Dowager Hatt's Busy Day*_

5\. _Stuck in Gear_

6\. _Runaway Engine*_

7\. _P.A. Problems*_

8\. _Hasty Hannah_

9\. _New Crane on the Dock_

10\. _Unscheduled Stops*_

11\. _Philip's Number*_

12\. _Red Engine Rivalry_

13\. _Quiet in the Shed_

14\. _Terence Breaks the Ice*_

15\. _Terence and Trevor_

16\. _Battle of the Buses_

17\. _Rusty The Passengers_

18\. _Emily in the Middle*_

19\. _Daisy's Perfect Christmas*_

20\. _Confused Coaches*_

21\. _The Celebrity_

22\. _Henry's Record_

23\. _Hugo Does the Washing_

24\. _Ring Around the Rosie_

25\. _A Captive Audience_

26\. _No Time for Ryan_

27\. _Samson and Bradford_

28\. _Marion Marks the Spot_

Come back to _Thomas Friends: Original Episodes _in January 2020 for the Set 3 opener: _Aging with Grace_!


End file.
